Avoiding the Inevitable
by LilyLiss
Summary: Lily, Hestia, Alice, Dorcas and the Marauders seventh year at Hogwarts looms upon them. Love grows. Friendships bloom. Hatred is everywhere, separating the Wizarding World into two sides in a terrible war that everyone knows is forthcoming. With Voldemort rising, safety becomes the one thing most people need above all. Nothing could go wrong, right? Wrong.
1. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters**

James Potter drummed his fingers impatiently on his legs, waiting rather restlessly for his mother to call him from down the stairs. After what seemed an eternity, Mrs Potter shouted up to him.

"James? Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yep, coming mum," he replied. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. He had been schooled at Hogwarts for six years, and had never in the slightest been bothered by nerves. Although, to be fair, this year something was different.

All the summer, James and Sirius had been wondering who their Headmaster would choose as head boy- James possibly more so than Sirius. Not obsessively worrying- only in an interested sort of way; James didn't give much thought to those kinds of things. Usually.

Instinctively, his first thought was Remus, who would be a natural, although he had also considered that Amos Diggory, who was a Hufflepuff in his year, might be chosen- regardless of how much he would dislike that decision. However, somehow, it was worse this way. James Potter was head boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and no one could have predicted it.

James didn't think of much of himself as a head boy. He also hadn't even thought to contemplate himself as the choice; he had caused too much havoc, served too many detentions, missed one too many homework assignments. Now that he was in the position, a whole lot of worry had set itself upon James' shoulders.

Sirius had almost laughed himself unconscious when he had seen James' badge. Their letters had come about two weeks beforehand, and Sirius had not stopped harassing him since.

James' letter had landed on the kitchen table with a slight clunk. The two Hogwarts barn owls, their job finished, flew off through the window they had come through, hooting to each other.

Both James and Sirius had stared at the letters, wondering what on earth was inside, and who's letter had made the odd noise.

Finally, James' parents Daniel and Emily, had walked in. Daniel had asked them what was wrong, but James and Sirius had not replied, and simply stared into space.

So the two parents, figuring something was up, had each waved a hand in front of the two boys, then picked up the letters and handed them to their respective owners. This brought James back to his senses and he felt the weight of his letter. His heart had half stopped, as he realised that the letter that he and Sirius had been gaping at was his.

"M... Mum?" he had stuttered.

"Yes, dear?" said Emily, who was holding back laughter, though she hadn't been sure why yet.

"I think... Um..." James cleared his throat and tried again. "Mum, you might want to look at my letter..."

Emily had picked up his letter, and slid her thumb under the yellowing parchment, and lifted up the flap. After taking out the usual letters, she had found that there was another letter in there. And a badge. With trembling hands, she plucked the badge from the envelope. Slowly, she turned it over, and gasped.

"H-head boy? MY Jamesie is HEAD BOY? Oh, sausage, this is amazing! I'm so proud of you! YOU'RE GOING TO DO SO GREAT!" she had squealed in delight, every sentence getting higher in pitch.

Sirius had chosen that moment to interrupt her ramblings and snort loudly, recognising the nickname she had given James when he was one, and finding the situation too hilarious to stop himself.

Emily had taken no notice, and had swooped down on James and smothered his face with kisses, whilst he attempted to fend her off.

This had gone on for forever, and by the time Daniel stepped in, Sirius was laughing uncontrollably on the floor banging it, as he had fallen off his chair minutes earlier, not being able to support himself long enough to stay on it, only adding to the hilarity of the situation. Daniel had grasped his wife's shoulders, clapped his son on the back, and whispered "You'll do great, James. I know you will," and left with Emily, who was trying desperately to squirm out of her husband's firm grip, and get back to James.

James smiled fondly at the memory, though his expression hardened a little when he remembered his nerves. He wiped his hands on his jeans, checked his badge, trunk and owl, and focused on the task of pulling his heavy trunk down the stairs.

When the household heard the crashing and bumping, each Sirius, Emily and Daniel rushed up to him. James, confused, sent them a bewildered look.

"Oh, _James_! You keep forgetting! You're seventeen!" said Daniel exasperatedly. "You would think that after all these years of waiting, complaining and whining that you would actually remember!"

James, who was obviously a bit slow at that moment, sent him a perplexed look.

"You. Can. Use. _Magic_!" He said, adding jazz hands on the last word. "We're so lucky to have such a smart son, aren't we Em," Daniel added, chuckling and ruffling James' hair.

"DAD!" he shrieked, nervously trying to flatten it, as Sirius snorted.

"Oh shut your as-" he started to say but was interrupted by Emily.

"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence James?" she said sternly, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Sorry, Mum," he apologised sheepishly. He strolled subtly over to his best mate and rumpled Sirius' perfect hair abundantly.

Sirius screamed and tore out the room, heading for a mirror, which he could use to repair what awful damage had been done.

"He'll be back," chuckled Daniel.

"Oh yes, he will," said James evilly, a smirk appearing on his face, while he tossed something pink in the air and caught it. "I stole his lucky comb this morning."

Daniel and Emily laughed, remembering the last time James had stolen Sirius' 'lucky comb'. It had ended with Sirius jinxing James so that every time he said the word 'and', he jumped up and down uncontrollably until smoke blasted out of his ears. When the smoke subsided, James' whole body would go purple, _ever so slowly_ fading back to his normal skin tone. It had taken two months for James to _finally_ apologise, and in that time, more pictures of James had been taken than ever before. Sirius had made sure of that.

At that moment Sirius stormed back in, about to scream every obscenity he could think of at  
James when Daniel ran in between them, swiped the comb from James and pushed it into Sirius' hand.

Sirius immediately calmed down and kissed his pink comb.

"Come on, before you two tear each other to pieces." said Emily, snorting.

* * *

"Lily... Lily... _Lily_... LILY... _LILY_!" a loud voice shouted up the stairs. Lily groaned and rolled over to face her alarm clock, which read eight thirty.

"Too early," she murmured quietly to no one in particular, before snuggling back into her covers, intending to get a few more hours sleep, at the very least.

She heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and moaned loudly. Lily Evans might be the perfect example of a school student during school days, but when it came to holidays she became a complete and utter slob.

A few seconds later, a very angry Petunia Evans burst through the door, letting it slam against the opposing wall. Lily opened one eye to see who was interrupting her favourite time of the day then, sighing, she closed it again knowing that Petunia would soon be hassling her.

Petunia stomped over to Lily's bed and forcefully sat down.

"Mum told me to wake you up and I'm not going to stand here all day. I have a date. So get up, freak. Now." she said, roughly shaking Lily's shoulder.

"Go away," Lily mumbled.

Petunia exhaled loudly, and Lily felt the weight leave her bed. Feeling victorious, she wriggled under her covers to get more comfortable. The next moment, Lily heard a rattling noise, and then a huge burst of light filled her room.

Lily squeaked and hid her face under her pillow. Petunia huffed, obviously annoyed, and grabbed Lily's duvet and blankets, pulling them off, leaving them in tangles at the foot of her bed.

"Now get up, freak. It's time to go to freak land."

Lily took a moment to translate what Petunia had said then sat up in realisation. It was time to go to Hogwarts.

Lily leapt out of bed, and rushed down the stairs, her thick, flaming red hair flowing behind her. She walked to the kitchen, to find Kate and Charlie Evans talking quietly.

She immediately made her way to the fridge, taking out a carton.

"Morning Lils," said Charlie, holding a mug of coffee in both hands. "Did you know your mother made me get up at 7:00? _7:00_!"

"Oh Dad, how dare she? I honestly don't know how you do it!" gasped Lily, pouring herself a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"I'm really not sure, Lilykins. I don't know how much more I can take!" he said, feigning seriousness.

His wife gave him a stern look. "I won't make your double shot, chocolate at the bottom, whipped cream, grated chocolate and a wafer, vanilla syrup, caramel sprinkles, a cinnamon stick and extra, extra-foamy every-fifth-Tuesday-when-I-get-to-actually-enjoy-my-coffee coffee tomorrow," she threatened, reeling off the list by heart exceedingly fast, only half serious.

Charlie gaped over-dramatically. "Katey- Watey, my special cream-bun darling, you would never commit such a crime!"

"Okay, okay, I think we've had enough melodrama now," said Lily, laughing, putting a piece of bread in the toaster.

It was then that she realised she could use magic.

She had come of age in the wizarding world in late January, and had been practising hard for school ever since. However, being able to use magic at home came with a downside. Though it was a whole lot easier than muggle cleaning, Lily had taken over all of the cleaning duties on most days, and was happy to do it since her mum had cleaned the house almost single-handedly for about ten years, even if it got a little exhausting. However, when Lily left, her family would have to clean again, so it was fair. But Lily had thought ahead.

She had been so excited to use magic again, that she had apparated to Diagon Alley the day after her birthday, purchased numerous books on household spells, and mastered them that day, and a few spells that she had altered to her needs.

The next day, she had gotten to work, her plan to have the house sparkling when she was finished with it. Starting with the bathroom, being the most germy room of the house, she worked her way through every crevice of every room, cleaning, disinfecting and putting spells on various objects that repelled any germs.

Lily had repeated this basic routine through the house, modifying it for the different rooms, and when she was finished, the house had shone like the syrup on pancakes in the morning- a direct quote from her dad.

She ran up the stairs, grabbed her wand from her bedside table, and ran back to the kitchen. She pointed her wand at the toaster, and her toast popped up, just right. Lily grinned. It still gave her such joy to be able to point a piece of wood at something and make it do what she liked. That in mind, she decided to give her parents a treat.

She sat down, munching her toast topped with strawberry jam, and subtly pointed her wand at the middle of the table. All at once, a huge platter appeared, and on it was a carton of eggs, a packet of rashers of bacon, and some small frozen sausages that were summoned from her fridge.

Once again, Lily pointed her wand at the table. The food suddenly became hot and cooked, ready to be eaten.

Lily's parents heard the sizzling, and turned around, startled. Their eyes widened when they saw the feast awaiting them, and quickly came to their senses. In unison, they picked up their plates, and started grabbing things off the platter.

"Umm... You're welcome?" snorted Lily, digging in too.

"Fanks," said Charlie, through a mouthful of food.

"Manners!" said Kate sharply, the corners of her mouth threatening to twitch into a smile.

"I don't need manners."

"Oh yes, you do."

"Oh no... I don't."

"This is going to be a long breakfast," said Lily, smirking.

Once they had all finished, Lily went upstairs to get ready. She realised she had forgotten to bring up her jumper, and went down the stairs to get it. As she was about to go into the kitchen, she saw Petunia, standing near the fridge, eating the food that Lily had made. Lily felt a smile appearing on her face.

She knew for a fact that her sister was aware Lily had prepared the food, because when Lily and her parents were nearly finished eating, Petunia had come downstairs, and Lily's mum had offered her some food, saying Lily had made breakfast.

That had been a mistake, as Petunia had turned her nose up at it, like she always did, saying she wanted to eat normal food that wasn't 'ruined' by magic.

Lily knew Petunia's morning habits, that she was always starving and ready to pig out, and definitely wouldn't even notice a sweater flying out of the kitchen.

As Lily smiled to herself, she took what Petunia was doing as a compliment, and summoned her sweater, then ran upstairs.

She closed the door behind her and picked up a brush, running it through her hair, finding it oddly soothing to do things the muggle way, then straightened it. She put on the usual mascara and eyeliner, cursing her red hair genes as she did so and then walked over to her closet.

Eventually, she chose a pair of light blue skinny jeans, and a tight halter, that had black and cream stripes, then slipped on some black sandals to match.

Lily grabbed her cage for her owl, Anna, and lured her in with some owl treats.

"I'll let you out as soon as I can." she promised, softly stroking her beloved owl's head.

She picked up her wand, non-verbally levitated her trunk- which she had packed about ten days in advance- and followed it down the stairs.

She reached the bottom, and lowered her trunk onto the soft white carpet. Then a thought occurred to her. She set down Anna's cage, and stuck her wand in her pocket.

She quietly padded up the stairs, and stopped in front of a door.

After knocking softly, the voice in the other side of the door spoke.

"Come in," it said, sounding flustered.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hope you liked the first chapter! I've edited this so many times I think I know it by heart, so I hope it's okay. I'll update maybe on Friday as well, and I'll try and get the new and improved chapters to you ASAP, so thst I can update the new ones. The other chapters have more bits that are added on, so you won't just be reading the same thing. Hope you like the new cover!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: This is all J.K. Rowling's, not mine.**

Taking a deep breath, Lily timidly twisted the door handle, revealing her sister madly rushing around her room.

Petunia shoved a pile of clothes off of her bed, not having noticed Lily there. She sighed exasperatedly, and dashed to her desk.

Lifting a stack of papers she shouted, " Mum, have you seen my-"

It was at that point that she noticed her sister standing there. Her sister, whom she had ignored for the most part of seven years. Her sister, a witch. Her sister, who had tried so hard to repair the broken relationship that was theirs. Her sister, who, in her heart, she knew she loved.

Petunia narrowed her eyes.

"Freak," she hissed.

Lily's eyes immediately widened.

"I'm- I'm not looking for a fight, Petunia." she said evenly.

"Then why're you here?" Petunia shot back.

When Lily didn't answer, Petunia rolled her eyes.

"Then get out! I have things to do."

"Petunia, I-"

"Out!"

Lily felt tears stinging her eyes, as she ducked her head to go out.

"I just- I just wanted my sister back." Lily said, almost inaudibly as she walked to the door.

Petunia's facial expression softened. As Lily placed her hand on the doorknob, ready to close the door on her last attempt to get a grasp on her only sister, Petunia spoke up.

"Lily- Lils, wait."

Lily stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I'm- I- Lily, I'm sorry."

Petunia sounded sincere, so Lily turned around, her face mirroring the huge shock she was feeling.

"Why're you apologising?"

"Because I've pushed you away since you got your letter. I've been a horrible sister."

"Well, I'm not going to fight you on that," Lily said slowly, still not quite believing that this was happening.

"I know I shouldn't have! The only reason I sent that letter to that guy... Dundledoor, is because I wanted to be with you. You're the smartest person I know, and I thought that you would be so good at your new school that you would forget me."

Lily's eyes widened in surprise, but she wasn't quite ready to forgive her yet. Petunia had given her a whole lot of claptrap, for a number of years, and Lily was one of the most stubborn people in the world when she wanted to be.

"Then why did you continue acting the way you did? Even after my first term you should have seen that I hadn't changed!"

"I know, I know! But I was jealous, and I kept telling myself that you were the lesser of us, and that you were weak because you kept trying to talk to me, and when you came back home, I just couldn't change!"

"You couldn't change back for _me_? Your _sister_?" Lily challenged.

Petunia could see that Lily wasn't going to let this go easily. Although Lily had been trying to talk to her for years, all of Lily's anger was coming out.

Petunia took a deep breath. She stepped forward, and grabbed onto Lily's arms, not letting her sister slide out of her grip. "Lily, I am so, so indeterminately sorry. I can't express how sorry I am, and I know I should have done this a long time ago, but better late than never, right?" she said, a hopeful look on her face.

When Lily had started becoming friends with Severus, their relationship had become a little strained, but it wasn't until Lily's letter came, along with a Ministry official to explain everything, that something in Petunia had had enough. When the man had left, Petunia had shouted at Lily, and, aside from Lily having one last attempt at Platform nine and three quarters, they hadn't talked properly since.

Lily paused for a moment. "I'll forgive you-'"

Petunia jumped up, and impulsively pulled Lily into an exuberant hug. Lily stood still, and Petunia frowned, slowly pulling back.

"- If you buy me a tub of chocolate fudge ice-cream," Lily finished.

At the same time, they broke into smiles, and embraced again. Lily was quite astonished at Petunia's behaviour. Petunia was almost as stubborn as herself, and was very rarely heard admitting she was wrong about anything.

"Alrighty, Lily-loo," Lily smiled at her childhood nickname, " Let's go get you some ice-cream."

"Thanks, Tuney."

They started toward the door, when Lily suddenly remembered something.

"Tuney! You have a date!"

Petunia's face immediately brightened, a glowing smile lighting up her profile. Every inch of her face was radiating happiness, eyes sparkling with joy. Lily didn't know what it was, but she knew that something amazing had happened to her big sister. She couldn't help it; she smiled too.

"That's right!" she gasped, still grinning like a lunatic. "I have a date! Oh Lily, you'll never believe it! I-I think... I think Vernon's going to propose!"

Lily gaped. _The whale was going to propose?_ Thought Lily. _Petunia Whale._ She tested. _Not pretty._

"You really love him, don't you..." she whispered after a while. It was barely audible, but knowing her sister, and her hatred for Vernon, Petunia heard.

"Yeah. I do. And I know he isn't very nice to you... Or Mum and Dad-" she was interrupted by Lily, coughing loudly. "Okay, fine, he's horrible to you."

Lily gave another big cough that sounded oddly like 'Worst human being imaginable.'

" _Fine_ , he's the most insufferable, selfish, dumb as a _donkey_ , mercenary jerk bag, that had incredibly vile behaviour towards my whole family, all the while being an utterly inconceivable human specimen. But he loves me- And I love him." Petunia beseeched.

"Are- are you sure? Because it's not too late-"

Petunia hit Lily on the shoulder, interrupting her.

"Yes, I'm sure, you evil mushroom. Come on. Please be happy for me?" Petunia turned on her puppy dog eyes. "Don't make me choose between my sister and my boyfriend. You _know_ I'll choose you..."

"Curse the puppy dog eyes," Lily muttered.

"Fine." she said finally. "Marry your whale of a boyfriend. But don't expect me to love him like you do."

"Ew, I don't _want_ you to love him like _I_ do. He's mine- back off, Lily-loo."

"Hey, I could get him. I mean with all _this_ ," Lily gestured to her body, " going on, really, there's no competition anywhere."

Petunia started laughing so much that she couldn't get another word out.

"I'm taking offence to that," Lily muttered, sending Petunia over the edge again.

After a while, she calmed, and wiped her eyes, still smiling. "I've missed this. I've missed you."

"Me too," said Lily grinning. "Anyway, back to the point... You have a date!"

This time, at the mention of her meeting, Petunia's face dropped. "Oh no! That's why I was freaking out before! I can't find anything I need! I-"

"Tunes, don't worry. I've got this all under control..."

* * *

After ushering Petunia out of the room to take a shower, Lily stood thinking about how she would dress her sister. Slowly, she pulled her wand out from her back pocket and accio-ed what she would need.

A few seconds later, a pair of old trainers and a ripped, faded shirt zoomed through the door, along with a cosmetics bag.

Concentrating fiercely, she pictured what she wanted the shirt to turn into, and mentally spoke the incantation while moving her wand in an E shape, then jabbing it.

Little by little, her shirt fluttered into the shape of a dress, looking exactly as she had imagined it, and like it would fit Petunia like a glove.

As Lily covered the dress, wanting it to be a surprise, Petunia walked through her door, wrapped in a pink fluffy towel with her hair wet, smelling like coconut and vanilla.

"I'm ready," she announced.

"Great. Sit here, and I'll do your hair. How do you want it done?"

"Um- I don't know... You decide?"

"Alright, but don't blame me if you don't like it."

Lily focused her attention solely on Petunias hair. She dried it first, then made a circular motion with her wand, then brought it down with a flourish, while Petunia's hair weaved itself into a new, styled hair-do.

Lily poked around the make-up bag that she had summoned, and took out the products that she wanted to use. After making up Petunias face, she carefully levitated the dress, and gradually manoeuvred it onto Petunia's figure. She stepped back to admire her handiwork, adding some touches here and there to complete her outfit.

"Okay... Come over to the mirror," Lily said, guiding Petunia over to the full length mirror against the wall.

She heard a sharp intake of breath as Petunia turned to look at herself in the mirror.

She was wearing hot pink stilettos with her toes painted in the same colour, and a layer of sparkles added. She was also wearing a french rose pink dress, with spaghetti straps that criss-crossed at the back. It was a tight dress, which clung to her body and showed off her figure, stopping just above her knees.

She had on minimal makeup, but was enough to highlight her facial features in just the right way. Blue eyeshadow, which brought out her baby blue eyes, dark brown mascara, rose coloured blush and watermelon pink lipstick, which complimented her dress.

Half of her light blonde hair was tied up in an elegant knot at the back of her head, while the other half was loose, cascading in soft curls on her shoulders. She looked absolutely beautiful.

"Lily," she whispered in a hushed voice. "I don't know what to say... You're the greatest sister ever!"

"Don't I know it," said Lily, a smirk playing on her lips. "But you'll be the greatest sister once you get me that ice cream."

Petunia laughed lightly. "Thank you so much." she said meaningfully.

"That's okay, it was my pleasure." Lily said easily. "Your hair and makeup won't mess up until you have a shower and your dress has a charm on it that repels anything, so it won't get dirty or stained-" started Lily, but was cut off by Petunia giving her another huge hug.

"I really mean it, Lils. You're the best sister anyone could ask for." Petunia hummed into Lily's ear. "And thanks again."

"Anything for you, Tuney."

"Really?"

"Yeah, anyone who buys me ice-cream immediately goes on the list. And _that's_ for always."

"Let's go, you wacko."

However, before they could walk out of the room, the door burst open, revealing Kate.

"Almost time to- _Wow, Petunia!_ You look so beautiful! I... Lils?" she said, in apparent shock, an extremely confused and flabbergasted look on her face.

Lily, knowing her mother thought it was a big deal that her daughters were 'getting along' and 'bonding', she knew she had to escape.

"Er- I'm just going to go to the kitchen...and do some kitchen things in the... kitchen..." she trailed off, dashing out the door.

"Oh no, you don't," said Kate, attempting to grab Lily, unsucceedingly, as she had already left. "Lily! Get back here!"

Kate ran out of the room in search of her daughter, while Petunia had tears of laughter in her eyes, holding her desk so that she didn't fall over.

Lily found herself at a dead end, but at just the right moment, her dad came walking by.

"Dad!" she hissed. Charlie looked around, and saw Lily crouched in a corner.

"No questions! Hide me!" Lily pleaded. To Lily's absolute joy, her dad obliged, stepping in front of her and blocking her from view. Kate came running around the corner, and as soon as she saw Charlie, she stopped, a menacing look in her eyes.

"Charlie?"

"Yes, deary?" said Charlie, playing it off cool.

"Where's Lily?"

"How would I know? She was with you, wasn't she?"

Kate's eyes faltered. "You really don't know?" she said, in a disbelieving tone.

"Nope. Last I saw her we were at breakfast, and she was going up the stairs with some bacon. Hmm, that was good bacon." said Charlie dreamily, staring off into space.

"Ugh, you're no use when you're thinking of food," she huffed, and stomped off.

When she was safely out of the way, Lily stood up. "Thanks, dad!"

"All good, Lils. Now, how about some more bacon?"

Lily giggled. "I already put some more in the freezer for you, and there's some in the fridge that you can have for lunch."

Charlie started tearing up. "I'm going to miss you, Lil!" he whimpered, pulling her into a one-armed hug.

* * *

Lily evacuated back into Petunia's room soon after her mother had finally tracked her down, and got all the details.

"Phew! I think I'm ready for a nap, don't you?" she sighed.

"Oh, come on." said Petunia, still laughing a little, as she had witnessed the whole fiasco.

So with that, they walked downstairs into the living room ready to say goodbye, yet again, only this time as equals.

 _Thud... Thud... Thud..._

"What's that noise?" asked Lily incredulously.

"That noise is your ol' dad carrying your heavy trunk to the car," said Charlie, walking through the door wiping his brow. "Worked up quite a sweat."

"I could have done that! You could have broken your back!"

"I think I did, with all of your books and knick-knacks."

"Not knick-knacks dad, potion ingredients and my cauldron and... Fine, they're knick-knacks." sighed Lily.

Charlie grinned. "I knew it. Alright, I'm going to go find your mum; make sure you're ready, Lils."

"Okay, dad."

Lily turned to Petunia as her dad left the room.

"I'll miss you, Tuney," she said, with a sad smile.

"I'll miss you too, Lily-Loo."

"I'll see you at Christmas, I guess," said Lily, the corners of her mouth twitching into a frown.

"Yeah, see you then," murmured Petunia, blinking furiously.

After wiping away any rogue tears, Petunia stepped into Lily and hugged her with all of her might.

"Thanks for everything, _again_. I'd stay longer, but I really have to go or I'll be late." half-smiled Petunia, after pulling back.

"It was my pleasure, and let me know how the date goes," said Lily, eyes twinkling.

"Okay."

"Goodbye, big sister."

"Goodbye, little sister, " said Petunia with a slight laugh.

They quickly embraced, and Petunia slipped out the door, with a last wave.

Lily wrinkled her nose a little. Dursley was _not_ going to suit Petunia. But she had to accept that it was happening, because it was. And if she didn't, Petunia would pounce like a puma.

* * *

The Evans' left their home at around ten, purring away in their Station Wagon.

"You know, I'm surprised that we were able to fit the trunk in so well- there normally isn't much space in the boot," said Kate, looking at Lily in the rear-view mirror.

Lily smiled sheepishly. "Yeah funny, that." she muttered.

"Seventh year Lil! Seventh! It seems only yesterday that we were driving you to your first year away from home," reminisced Charlie, turning around in his seat to face Lily.

"Yeah, it's really gone so quickly, I can't believe it," said Lily. "And I'm head girl!"

"Oh Lily, we're so proud of you. You know that." said Kate fondly- a much different tone than what she had used earlier that morning.

"I know," Lily said, grinning.

"I can still remember you, coming home from the park, and there was a letter with your name on it." started Charlie. "Oh, you were so excited; the look on your face was like a bear that had just caught a fish after hours of _nothing._ "

At this point Lily smiled. Her dads' metaphors _were_ really the best.

"And you came running in, waving the letter around, and you burst into the kitchen and shouted ' _I got it! Mummy, Daddy, I got my letter_!' And you ripped it open and stuffed the letter under our noses." he finished, now chuckling. "And now... You're head girl! And I can't imagine anyone else who would fit better."

"Dad, you don't even know anyone else in my year," said Lily, snorting.

"Oh that's not true. I know your little friends... What are their names again?" Charlie teased.

"Oh, shush," said Lily, gently hitting him on the arm.

The car slowed down after a while, and pulled to a stop.

"We're here!" shouted Charlie.

"A little louder, dad? I don't think _quite_ all of Scotland heard you." said Lily.

Charlie only grinned triumphantly, and stuck his tongue out at her.

Lily smiled fondly. This train station held so many memories, and she couldn't quite believe that this would be one of the last times she entered it as a school student.

She got out of the car and reached in to grab her owl, grabbed the cage, and pushed the door shut. She made her way to the boot of the car and heaved her weighty trunk out. She ran over and wheeled a trolley over to the car, on which she put her trunk on, and balanced Anna on top. They strolled to the station, and stopped at the platform.

Lily adjusted her trunk on the trolley, and walked towards the divide between platforms nine and ten. She slowed a little, letting a crowd of people conceal her. When she reached the barrier, she kept her eyes peeled, not wanting to miss the sensation, and strode through the wall, allowing it to engulf her whole. Her parents followed close after her, grasping hands as they did so, and walked in their daughters footsteps through the ticket barrier, as they were swallowed into the magical world of Hogwarts.

 **A/N**

 **This one had a lot more added in, so I hope you enjoy it! It's also a lot longer, and I think its more well written. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters**

"Hurry up, James! Merlin, we don't have all day!" said Sirius, tapping his foot while waiting for his best friend to catch up to him.

"I'm coming," James panted. "I had a duel with the wall... It won."

"You crashed into a wall?" Sirius snickered. "Wow, Prongs, I always thought you were James Potter, Marauder, now head boy, always right about what wall to walk into." Sirius' voice broke and he cleared his throat, wiping away imaginary tears. "Yet now... I don't even know what to think of you! You've changed!" He gasped suddenly, dramatically. "There's someone else, isn't there? You've been going behind my back! I can't believe this! _You little skunk_."

James paused from laughing to send an 'are you seriously doing this again?' look at Sirius, but Sirius had turned on his heel, and was walking with his head held high, putting his 'brave face' on. He reached a few steps before the barrier and turned back to James, pretending to hold back tears.

"I just want you to know... I'll always love you, Prongsie. You'll always come first..."

"Awe, thanks Pad-"

"I'm not finished!" Sirius snapped, momentarily lapsing out of his teary love story act. "As I was saying," he sniffed, "Obviously I don't come first for _you_."

And before James could say anything more, Sirius swaggered toward the wall, and vanished the second he walked through it.

At this point, Mr and Mrs Potter reached the barrier.

"Off you go, James, we're right behind you." said Mrs Potter gently.

With a curt nod, James sauntered over, and stepped into the barrier after Sirius.

A burst of light hit his eyes, and he saw it. Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He glanced up at the sign overhead that said _Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock._ He was doing it. He was going to Hogwarts, as Head Boy.

He looked back at the wrought-iron entrance to the platform that his parents would be coming through in just a moment. That thought in mind, he pushed his trolley to the side, and a second later, Daniel and Emily Potter appeared, hand in hand.

In silent agreement, they ambled in the direction of Sirius, who was attempting to heft his trunk onto the train. They swerved in and out of the mass of chattering people gathered on the platform, their sight a little obscured by the steam coming out of the scarlet train.

They spotted a neon green cat, which was pawing at the trunk it was sitting on, and then saw Remus Lupin attempting to shoo the cat away. They also caught a glimpse of Peter Pettigrew's dad, who was talking to a witch with a toucan sitting on her hat, feeding it seed subconsciously, until finally they reached Sirius, who at this point had dropped his trunk on his toe a number of times, despite his attempts to convince everyone around him that he was 'all muscle, like a _real_ man with a comb'.

"Oi! Padfoot!" James shouted over the swarm of people.

Sirius, who had only _just_ successfully pushed his trunk onto the first step, jumped in surprise, and his trunk tumbled over.

" _Prongs_!" he whined. "That took me _ages_."

"Sorry mate, but let me try," said James, smirking slightly.

He rolled up his sleeves and stood for a second, as though determining the shape and weight of the trunk, and, still smiling smugly, he whipped his wand out and levitated Sirius' trunk, faster than lightning, and lowered it onto the train; it was only then that he started laughing hysterically.

"Y-you didn't... Even think of... Doing... _Magic_ ," he gasped in between laughs.

Sirius eyed him with a glare to match that of Lily Evans, which was saying a lot, but James remained oblivious, and continued guffawing.

"It's not as bad as you this morning," Sirius said, and kicked James in the shin.

James calmed down a bit, but was still snickering at Sirius' mishap with his trunk, and the red tinge that was appearing on Sirius' face.

He stumbled onto the train, due to the fact that he was still laughing a little, waving his wand to make his trunk follow him, and made his way down to the Official Marauders Compartment, while Sirius, begrudgingly, followed.

* * *

"LILY EVANS!" a voice bellowed excitedly over the noise of the platform.

Lily whipped around to face her parents, and they gave her nods, signalling that she could go.

"Lils don't forget to come and find us and say goodbye!" called Mrs Evans after her daughter.

Lily gave her a thumbs up, and continued pushing her trolley along.

"HESTIA JONES!" she called.

Lily heard a shriek, and lost her balance as a figure ran into her, pulling her into a fierce embrace.

"I missed you so much!" Hestia squealed, still hugging Lily tight.

"I missed you too!" Lily squeaked, hardly able to breathe.

After a few more seconds, Hestia let go.

"C'mon, let's go find a compartment. I can't believe I haven't seen you for two weeks! _Two weeks_!" said Hestia, pulling Lily's arm, along with her own trunk.

They continued chatting, filling each other in about what had happened to them in their holidays. Lily would wait until later to tell Hestia about Petunia.

When they got to the train, Lily pulled out her wand and flicked it, making both of their trunks float onto the carriage while Hestia told Lily a story about a shopping trip she had been on.

"... And then I said 'Okay, I'll take it', but then it was the wrong size, so when I went into the next shop to get..." rambled Hestia, unaware that they were even on the train.

Lily found an empty compartment, and guided their trunks to the rack above their heads.

"Hest," she interrupted. "We need to find Alice."

"YAY! Let's go!" said Hestia, abruptly stopping her story and becoming excited, grabbing Lily's hand again and jumping off the train through the nearest door, then continuing on with her story.

"There she is!" said Lily excitedly. Then she spotted her parents waving her over. "Sorry, Hest, I have to go say goodbye, but I'll come over to Ali in a minute, okay?"

"Alright," said Hestia grinning happily. "Be quick!"

Lily darted between the crowds of people on the full platform, and sped over to her parents.

"Bye, Lils, have fun this year!" said Charlie cheerfully.

"Be good, and send us lots of letters, okay?" requested Kate.

"Yes mum, yes dad," Lily chirruped, laughing.

They hugged briefly, said goodbye, and parted ways.

"BYE LILY!" Charlie shouted.

Kate smacked him. "Don't embarrass her," she hissed, smirking.

Lily grinned, and waved once more.

"BOO!" boomed a loud voice when she reached her friends.

Lily stood still.

"Really, Hest? I'm not going to get scared after the seven thousandth time." she chortled.

She turned around and saw Alice.

"Ali! How are you?" she said beaming, hugging Alice, happy to be back with her friends.

"I'm great, actually!" she answered cheerfully. "Look, it's time to get on the train."

"Okay, I'm sorry you guys, but it'll only be for a little while; I'll come back soon." said Lily.

"Do you _have_ to go?" whined Hestia.

"Yeah, but Alice'll keep you company. I'll only be a little while."

And with that, she walked off to the Prefects cabin, knowing that if she stayed, Hestia would only delay her more.

* * *

She walked in to find that no one was there, so she took out her notes and went over them, yet again.

She heard footsteps and a figure walked into the room, so she looked up, hoping it was Remus, to find none other than James Potter.

"Potter?" she asked incredulously. " _What_ are you doing here? This is the Prefects cabin."

"I know that, Evans."

"So why are you here? To berate Remus for being a 'goody-goody Prefect' again?"

"No, Evans," he said slowly. "I'm head boy."

Lily stared at James in disbelief. After a while, James got a little self-conscious.

When a few more awkward minutes had passed, Lily came to.

"You're obviously joking. I mean, you can't possibly be head boy, its preposterous, come on Potter. Give up the game, it's Remus, isn't it- oh what sort of question is that, of course it's Remus. If it wasn't I wouldn't be sure what was going on in Professor Dumbledore's head, I mean, really, if..." Lily rambled.

James was only half listening. He wasn't offended that Lily thought he wouldn't be fit for Head Boy. He knew that she had strong feelings of dislike towards him; Actually, that was an understatement. She had made it perfectly clear that she abhorred him, even hated being in his presence. But he knew the moment would come soon; the moment when he would have to tell her that he wasn't joking, let the truth sink in, and then face the wrath of Lily Evans.

"Evans," James interrupted.

Lily was about to say something, but with what looked like a whole lot of self-control, she held back.

"I'm really not joking." James continued. "I didn't believe it at first either, but I am. I'm head boy."

Lily shook herself out of the stage of denial. She considered bashing James, but figured that it wouldn't be a great start to the year, so she pulled her lips up into a tight smile, offered her hand out and said, "Good to have you on board, Potter."

James was quite surprised, but took Lily's outstretched hand and shook.

Lily let go quickly, turning away to hide the repulsed look on her face, and went to sit down to wait for the prefects. She was startled at James' behaviour. No big headed comment about how he was 'better than everyone in the world and he deserved head boy the most?' And no request to date her? Not one? Usually, by this time, James had tracked Lily down and asked her out, and when she declined, asked again. But not this time. Something was up, and Lily would soon find out what it was.

James, meanwhile, had taken a seat by the window and was deep in thought. He was going to get Lily this year. He had to. During one of his rants at the very end of last year about Lily not saying yes to him, Remus had given him some advice.

He had told James to dial it down; don't ask her out every two seconds, try not to be so vain about his talents, stop hexing people for the fun of it, don't go and snog random girls to make Lily jealous- just be nice, and attempt to have a civil conversation with her. Then go from there.

James had taken that on board this year. He was going to be kind, considerate, involved with his duties, be on top of his schoolwork, and be everything that Remus had told him later, when James had further questioned him about things that would make Lily like him.

James had matured over the summer; there was no denying it. And he was more than willing to change for the girl he loved.

At that moment, the train car door slid open, and the prefects piled in, while Lily and James stood up and faced them all.

"Hello, to all of you. You are this year's Hogwarts prefect body, and we trust that you will do well. I'm Lily Evans, the Head Girl for this year..." started Lily.

"And I'm James Potter, your Head Boy." James finished.

A few disbelieving stares were directed at James. He chuckled lightly.

"Yes, yes I know what all of you are thinking, but I don't really know why I was chosen either, to be honest, but I promise, I'll do my best." he stated.

"Okay. So each of you will be doing patrols at night with a partner; the partners sometimes change, but if you have any concerns, ask us. We will have meetings about once every two weeks, and the patrol schedules will be put on your house notice board," said Lily, getting straight to the point.

At this moment, James took over, as Remus had told him what to say and discuss. This surprised Lily, but she went along with it anyway.

"You will also be helping out around the school with different things, such as decorating the hall for Christmas and Halloween, and guiding the first years. We expect you all to be courteous to one another, and to report all rule breaking to either a teacher or us. You are allowed to take away and give out points, but they must be fair and not at all biased. Additionally, we get records of who takes what points off and on, and we go through them to make sure they are fair."

They paused here to let everyone process what they had said.

"That's pretty much it, for now. We have a meeting this Saturday, so make sure you are at the second floor charms classroom at four o'clock, okay?" said Lily. There was a murmur of agreement. "Are there any questions?"

A Ravenclaw prefect who looked quite young put up her hand.

"Do we give out detentions?" she queried.

"You can, but again, if they are not reasonable, we take them away." said James. "No more questions?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Good. See you Saturday. For now, please can you walk down the corridors, make sure everyone is in their compartments, and that there are no duels or fights going on. If there is, stop them immediately, and report to us. Thanks for coming." James finished.

Everyone left, and Remus motioned to James that he would wait outside.

"You know, it's silly. We're head boy and girl now. Let's just stop the last name thing, okay?" said Lily, smiling a little.

"Alright... Lily. I'll see you later." said James with a smile.

"Good job with the meeting, by the way."

"Thanks, you too."

"Bye, James."

And with that, Lily walked off, leaving James beaming.

* * *

He strolled out to Remus, who was looking quizzically at him.

"How did it go?" said Remus, looking for bruises and scratches on James' body, half serious, half amused.

James' grin broadened.

"Great. And we're calling each other by our first names now!" he said excitedly.

"You actually did really well on the meeting, James; I'm surprised you remembered all of the things that I told you," he congratulated, smirking.

"Oh Moony, how could you ever say such a thing!" gasped James.

Remus chuckled.

"Come on, Sirius'll go berserk if we take any longer." he said.

They wandered down the train, occasionally peeking in windows that contained students that were usually misbehaving, then they passed a compartment in which James saw a streak of red. Lily. He slowed his pace, and peaked in, to see Lily, laughing with her friends.

He smiled a little, and carried on down the train, until they reached their compartment; the one that they had used since first year.

"Hey Pad-AAARRRGGGHH," started James, before he was promptly tackled to the floor by none other than Sirius Black, mid-sentence.

" _Why_ did you take so long," he whined.

"I'm sorry, Pads. A head boy's gotta do what a head boy's gotta do." casually remarked James as though he hadn't just been hugged ferociously by his best friend, then had to try and get up while Sirius was standing on his arm.

"And Moony! Why didn't you make him hurry?" demanded Sirius.

"Sorry, I don't have control over the head boy," he snickered.

"Oh well, you're back!" he said, then pulled them into the compartment with Peter. "We have plenty of Maraudering to do, so hop to it!"

"Hop to it? Really?" criticised James.

"Head Boy, really?" countered Sirius, with a smirk.

"He's really not letting that one go, is he?" said Remus softly to James, as they took their seats opposite Peter and Sirius, after brushing off all of the food wrappers that already littered the seats.

"What are you two chickies whispering about over there?" said Sirius, raising an eyebrow and leaning into both of their faces.

James sighed. He gave Remus a look, which Remus understood straight away.

"If you must," Remus said tiredly.

James faced Sirius again. "Chickies?" he questioned.

"Yes. Chickies. I can't call you girls, because I have too much respect toward our opposing gender."

All the boys snorted loudly at this statement, and began laughing rather rambunctiously.

"What are you implying?" said Sirius, narrowing his eyes at them all. But they were all in stitches, each boy attempting to speak, but sputtering incomprehensible nonsense, confusing Sirius further.

"It's times like this when I really think I'm the sane one."

* * *

Lily got back to her compartment quickly after the meeting, and shut the open door behind her.

"LILY!" shouted Dorcas.

"DORCAS!" Lily shouted back.

They reached over and hugged, then smiled.

"Soooo?" said Hestia, suggestively. "Who's head boy?"

"You won't _believe_ it! _James Potter_!" said Lily.

"No. Way." said Dorcas. "I never would have thought! Dumbledore's off his rocker."

So Lily quickly recounted what had happened at the meeting; and what had happened afterwards. Soon after, they trailed off the topic of school and onto more exciting things, laughing, and telling stories from each of their summers.

While they chit-chattered, Lily's mind wandered back to the morning she had spent with Petunia. They were no longer mortal enemies, but proper sisters, and Lily knew that the relationship with her sister was somewhat repaired, if not for long. It was that thought that gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. A feeling of home. And she stayed happy and content bearing that in mind for the rest of the trip.

 **A/N**

 **I chose to write Hestia, not Marlene; I did consider having both of them, but I feel like their personalities (to me) are too similar. Hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I own** _ **almost**_ **NOTHING, but the SORTING HAT SONG IS MINE! ALL MINE! Of course, I wouldn't have written one if J.K Rowling hadn't had the idea, but...**

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken separately." a voice boomed through the train.

Lily swiftly stepped out into the corridor, which, luckily, was not yet crowded. James soon joined her, and they walked towards the nearest door.

The train finally slowed to a stop, and the corridors became crammed with witches and wizards as the doors opened.

The two head students strode off the train on to the small platform, and heard the familiar call of, "Firs' years, over here! C'mon, over here! Firs' years, here now, don' be shy."

"Hey, Hagrid!" said Lily, beaming up at him.

"Hello Lily, James, good ter see yeh," said Hagrid, his black beetle eyes twinkling.

They helped Hagrid to herd the first years to the edge of the Black Lake, and assisted them as they piled into the boats.

As they were walking away, a bright blue light came rushing towards them. It took the form of a Phoenix, and spoke to them in the voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"Welcome, Lily and James. It is about now that you will realise that you do not have any transportation to the castle. Follow this Patronus, and it will lead you to your entrance to the school. Have your wits at hand; I know you can do this." it said.

James and Lily stared at each other in disbelief. Then James gave an uneasy smile.

"That's our headmaster, huh?" he joked.

"What did he mean, 'have your wits at hand'?" asked Lily.

"No idea, but let's see where it takes us." said James mysteriously.

So Lily and James followed the Patronus, which lead them on a trail that crossed over the path where the carriages departed, and into a clearing. Just as they were reaching it, Lily yawned enormously. She hadn't been waking up early in preparation for school, and the time 8:30am didn't agree with her.

The Patronus stopped, bade them good luck and vanished into the cool night air.

"Well, what are we supposed to do now?" exclaimed Lily.

Then James gasped in realisation, looking around where they were standing, his eyes wide.

"I've heard about this before, but I thought it was some kind of myth!" he said excitedly.

"What's some kind of myth?" asked Lily curiously.

"My parents used to tell me these poems and stories _all_ the time- you know, like The Tales of Beedle the Bard- and I always thought that's what they were; stories. But I guess this one... Is real?"

"Then come on. Let's hear it."

James took a deep breath and began.

" _The heads of the school,_  
 _If worthy of their position_  
 _Must ponder together_  
 _To gain this mission._  
 _Whilst thinking most carefully_  
 _Whether friends or foes,_  
 _Will work as one,_  
 _and do as follows:_  
 _First, take it in, the place where you are,_  
 _And thus find the morning star._  
 _Then look forward,_  
 _And take heed-_  
 _Watch where light shines in your lead._  
 _Finally, walk with purposeful manner_  
 _Towards the path of your choice,_  
 _Last but not least, do not meander,_  
 _Or you may be unable to rejoice'._ "James recited.

"And 'legend' - or my parents, anyway- says that only a few head students about every four hundred years get the opportunity, and that only one school has ever had it happened to it: Hogwarts. It's one of the most rare types of magic there is."

"Do you know any more?" questioned Lily.

"Yeah, umm... It's said that Godric, Helga, Rowena and Salazar themselves created this magic, and they spent more time on this than the school itself, wanting it to be special and magical. They put an extremely complex charm on the spell, so that if ever any heads _were_ worthy, it would form in a closed area in the head students' own school, while the headmaster or mistress was informed by a single note saying: _you have been chosen._ " James finished.

"Wow," Lily breathed. She was utterly amazed that, first, she had been _chosen_ , whatever that meant, and second, that James had been so informed.

"I guess coming from a wizarding family has _lots_ of benefits." she said.

"I guess," James said with a frown.

"Anyway, we have a riddle to solve." said Lily.

"Okay. So first, it says to work together, then take in the place that we are." thought James aloud.

"Well, we're outside Hogwarts, in a clearing a little way along the carriages path, but we can't see it, or Hogwarts." said Lily.

"Okay, then look up at the stars." said James.

They both looked up at the night sky, and found that instead of the sky intensely bright, stars scattered all over, there was one, lone ball of light.

Lily frowned, and stepped so that from her point of view, she was directly under it. James followed her action.

"Then... Look forward, that's pretty simple," she said.

"Take heed. So we'll make sure we are aware."

"Watch where the light shines; there is no li- Wait, look!" exclaimed Lily.

There was a thin, bright stream of light that was directed before them, above their heads, which seemed to burst out of nowhere, deeming both Lily and James in awe.

"And... We walk with 'purposeful manner' towards it?" asked Lily uneasily. "Because if I had to choose a path, I'd choose that one."

They moved from their stationary position, and took a tentative step into the light's path, and it suddenly became part of the track.

The slightly blue light looked as though it was shining from underground, seeping through the blades of grass, lighting up their way. It was an immensely bright light, more than enough to let them see their path. Lily wondered whether you could see it from the school, but James, seemingly reading her mind shook his head.

"I think they put some sort of charm on this, so no one else can see it." he stated.

"Well, that makes more sense."

All at once, something in Lily's mind clicked. Words had flown around her head like a hurricane, each letting her think about them for only a nanosecond, then disappearing into the depths of her brain, but allowing her to process them quickly; this was what happened when Lily thought hard. It seemed difficult and peculiar to others, but to Lily, it made her see sense.

Lily had realised what her headmaster's words had meant. 'Have your wits at hand' was telling them to think wisely, and in order to solve the poem, they had needed to do so. The line of the poem, ' _Last but not least, do not meander_ ' insinuated that they needed to run- fast.

Lily knew what to do. She had solved it.

"James," she murmured. "Follow me."

Lily took a calming breath. She abruptly took a stride forward, then, with a very slight moments' hesitation, she began to run along the track.

James got the idea and followed her. The ground, though it seemed hard, was soft, making their supposedly heavy tread sound and feel light as a feather.

Lily started running even faster.

"Come on!" she said, laughing merrily.

So James sped up sufficiently and caught up to her, running by her side, the wind blowing in their faces.

Unhurriedly, a wall began to enclose them. It was a hedge-like wall that made them feel like they were in a fairy-tale.

Maybe it was part of the magic of it all, or maybe they were having too much fun, but neither of them were getting tired. It was as if every step they took was a new burst of energy.

By this time, the hedge had grown to its full height and covered them completely in a low, tunnel-like forest green canopy over their heads.

They sprinted full out in a sudden surge of stamina, and were enveloped in a huge gust of wind that pulled them right off their feet and out of the opening at the end of the passage, into the air.

They were each supported by a misty blue cloud, which was bound together by the wind. It pushed them high into the air and carried them towards Hogwarts.

The forceful gale blew James' fringe right up, and Lily's hair straight behind her. She laughed loudly.

"I love this magic!" she shouted over wind.

James grinned. He loved it when Lily was happy, even when it wasn't directed at him.

They passed a load of protective enchantments, and the charms washed over them like a waterfall.

Lily and James were flying. At one point they had been zooming over extremely tall trees, when Lily thought she was about to face-plant one, but it was like she was a ghost; she didn't feel a thing, even though it went right through her.

They finally got near an entrance to the school, and the speed slowed down a bit.

The mist, still swirling around them, lingered in the air, letting Lily and James go as they neared the ground, slowing a little more.

They gradually descended, and when they were about a metre from the floor, they fell through the cloud and tumbled safely, softly, onto the ground.

Simultaneously, they got up, brushed themselves off, and looked around.

"Look, there's the Quidditch pitch, we're not far!" said James.

They walked in silence towards the pitch. Once they reached it, they walked through the change rooms, heading for the Great Hall.

* * *

As Lily and James neared the two massive doors leading to the hall, they automatically swung open, and bright light hit their eyes, the candlelight bathing them in warmth.

Lily and James could already hear the rest of the school chattering and laughing as they were led through the halls, as they themselves walked through the double doors to their headmaster.

Professor Dumbledore motioned for them to come over. "I trust that you had a good time?" he said smiling.

"Yes. It was amazing, professor!" said Lily ecstatically.

"Excellent; you can go take your seats now, the school will be here soon." he said briskly.

They both smiled at him.

"Oh, and congratulations." the Professor said, looking at them proudly.

Lily nodded, and strode away to her seat, James following closely behind her. Lily gave him a tight-lipped smile once more, and sat down, while James moved further along the table to his seat.

At that moment, the rest of the school were let into the hall, talking loudly.

When Lily's friends walked in, they spotted her immediately, her vivid red hair like a beacon in the sea of people.

They greeted each other, then quietened down, as Professor McGonagall had walked in, carrying a stool, and a certain magical hat.

She herded the first years in, and placed the Sorting Hat on the stool, everyone watching it eagerly.

A mouth near the brim ripped open, and it burst into song.

 _"When Hogwarts school was all brand new,_  
 _And founder's undivided,_  
 _I was made to sort the students right,_  
 _And keep the school united._

 _I may not look outstanding,_  
 _But I'm pretty smart, you see,_  
 _There's nothing in that head of yours,_  
 _That this hat can't perceive._

 _You might do well in Gryffindor,_  
 _Where you'll make your life-long friends,_  
 _Their chivalry and daring,_  
 _Make them ready to defend._

 _Or maybe in dear Hufflepuff,_  
 _Who values just and toil,_  
 _They're kind and true and patient,_  
 _Let's not forget; they're loyal._

 _You might belong in Ravenclaw,_  
 _Where wit is highly cherished,_  
 _Their intelligence is the surest,_  
 _And their learning won't be perished._

 _Or possibly in Slytherin,_  
 _They're ambitious and select,_  
 _They prize resourcefulness and cunningness,_  
 _Above all intellect._

 _So put me on your complex head,_  
 _And let me look inside,_  
 _I'll tell you what you need to know,_  
 _And in which house you will reside."_

The whole hall burst into thunderous applause. When the clapping finally subsided, the hat bowed to each of the tables, became still again, and Professor McGonagall took out a long roll of parchment.

"Adams, Lachlan," she read out.

A surprisingly tall boy with a kind face walked up to the stool.

His face disappeared under the hat, and after a few seconds, the brim ripped open and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The current Gryffindor's cheered loudly and shook his hand when he joined them.

"Anderson, Rachel."

A tiny girl stepped out of the line, and when she tried the hat on, it immediately shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

About halfway through the Sorting, Remus heard Sirius' stomach rumble. He then saw Sirius patting it, whispering, "It's okay, I'll feed you soon, Tammy."

Remus interrupted Sirius' stomach bonding time, and said, "Sirius? Why do you call your stomach Tammy?"

"Tummy, Tammy- you get the gist." butted in Peter.

"Right, right. But why is he stroking it?"

"Who can say?" piped in James.

The sorting went on, until it finished with a first year,  
'Zachary, Hunter' who became a Ravenclaw.

Albus Dumbledore got to his feet.

"Welcome!" he said, a positively radiant smile on his face, his arms out wide. "I would like to say a few words, but now is not the time. Dig in!"

A magnificent display of food appeared on each of the tables. Everything from pork chops to mint humbugs was on the table, already being demolished by the hungry students.

Everyone dug in, eating until bursting point, until their plates cleared, and the desserts showed up.

Ice cream, pudding, tarts, strawberries, cream, chocolate éclair's, doughnuts, trifle, jelly... There was no end to the delights of dessert at Hogwarts.

* * *

Once everyone's plate was clean again, there became a general hum of conversation through the hall. When Dumbledore got to his feet, everyone became quiet again.

"I have a few announcements to make, and I will do my best to keep it short, as most of you are probably thinking of drifting off to sleep in your warm beds.

"The Forbidden Forest, as made clear by its name, is forbidden to all students. Quidditch trials are to be held on a date that suits your team captain. If you are interested in trialling, see your head of house.

"Our head students this year, are Lily Evans and James Potter," he paused here to let Lily and James stand up.

Everyone clapped and cheered, but no one applauded harder than the Gryffindor's. Two head students from the same house was an honour.

Lily was blushing furiously, and James was nervously fingering a button on his shirt.

When the clapping stopped, the two heads sat down again, and Professor Dumbledore continued.

"That brings us to the end of our dinner. Tomorrow, your timetables will be handed out to you, but for now, get to bed and have a good night's sleep. Chop chop!" he said, smiling.

So everyone got out of their seats, and made their way sleepily to the doors.

They were home.

 **A/N**

 **The sorting hat song is mine- which I'm pretty proud of- , and so is the poem at the start (and sorry, I know it's awful).**

 **I forgot to mention, I know that James' parents' names are Fleamont and Euphemia but I didn't want to use them, I wanted to make this story my own, and I know that sounds stupid, because it's their SET NAMES, but that's what I did.**

 **Oh and also, sorry if you disagree with having Dorcas Meadows in the story, or if you didn't like how James and Lily got to Hogwarts, but too bad for you.**


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, and none of the characters are mine... Nothing... Nothing is mine...**

After attending to the first years, and helping them find their way, Lily walked drowsily with Hestia, Dorcas and Alice to the Gryffindor dormitory, chatting about the feast, when someone shouting interrupted their conversation.

"Miss Evans!" called a brisk voice.

Lily whipped around, and saw that Professor McGonagall was walking towards her.

"I am here to take yourself and Mr. Potter to your dormitory." McGonagall said swiftly.

Lily stared at her open mouthed.

" _Our_ dormitory?" she questioned disbelievingly.

"Yes." responded the Professor.

"I-I have to sh-share a dorm with..." she stammered.

"Yes, you do. Come along, we have to find him. Who knows where he'll be. "

Lily found herself being tugged away from her friends by her teacher. She half-heartedly waved goodbye, dreading the night.

They spotted a mess of raven hair, and Lily instantly grimaced.

"Mr Potter!" barked Professor McGonagall.

He turned around, and saw Lily and McGonagall walking towards him.

"Yes, Professor?" he asked.

"Come with us," she said, not bothering to elaborate.

James gave a questioned look, but said nothing and followed.

A few metres behind them, Sirius started whining.

"But I want Prongsssssssssss," he complained.

He made a quick attempt to run after James, but Remus held him back, chuckling.

"No, Sirius. He'll come back, just wait." said Remus.

It looked as though James had heard all of their conversation, as he turned around and blew a kiss to Sirius. Sirius then pretended to catch it, and he held it to his chest.

James smirked and turned away, walking in step with Lily and his teacher.

They proceeded to the seventh floor, where Professor McGonagall stopped, and pointed to a portrait of a man sitting on a horse, eating grapes and looking extremely fancy.

"You may choose your own password, but it has to be something you both agree on. You can change it freely, just make sure you remember it. Present the password to Charles, when you choose it, and he'll be able to let you in." she explained. "If you have any questions, inquire to either myself or the headmaster. Have a good night."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked off.

Lily stepped up to the portrait.

"Password?" asked Charles in a heavy British accent.

"Um... We're not sure yet," stated Lily, looking over at James.

Charles smiled a little.

"Take all the time you need, madam." he enunciated.

"How about Gryffindor is a house of gods and we are the bestest house in the whole world? Or maybe-" James rambled.

"How about..." said Lily, interrupting James' suggestions. "Hippogriff? It's short and easy to remember."

James took a second to think about it.

"Okay, Hippogriff it is." he agreed.

"Did I hear Hippogriff?" said Charles pompously.

"Yes, that's what we'd like to make our password, please." requested Lily politely.

"Of course, anything, madam. Come, come in."

The portrait swung forward and Lily and James climbed in.

Their jaws immediately dropped in wonderment.

On their left was a huge fireplace crackling merrily, casting shadows onto the polished rosewood floor. There were two squashy, comfortable armchairs sporting Gryffindor colours, and one long couch in the middle of them with pillows littered across it. In front of the fireplace was a carved mahogany table, off of which the fire reflected, giving the entire room a warm, welcoming feel.

On the other side of the room, there were two desks, quite far from each other, an enormous, clear window in front of them, looking out to the mountains, the bright, shining stars illuminating the moon.

Half of the wall where Lily and James were standing was covered in books, while the other half was painted in an ornate scarlet and gold pattern, with empty, gold encrusted frames strewn across it, yet to be filled with memories.

Opposite them were two winding staircases, which Lily assumed led to their rooms.

It was such a beautiful common room that they both couldn't believe they would be living there.

Lily walked over to the bookshelf, and ran her fingers slowly along the dusty volumes. She found a book that looked particularly interesting, and she pulled it off its shelf, and carried it to one of the armchairs by the fire. When she sat down, she sighed. It was the most comfortable chair that she had ever sat in. She opened the book and immediately became engrossed in it. It was about the origin of protective enchantments, and the wizard who had invented the first ones.

Meanwhile, James strode over to the window and sat down on the windowsill, which was wide enough to be a couch. It had pillows set on the soft seat, and curtains that you could pull around it for privacy.

He gazed out the window at the magnificent view, marvelling at how lucky he was to have Lily in his life.

When the clock struck ten o'clock, Lily summoned a bookmark from her room and placed it in her book. She yawned, and prepared to go up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Potter," she said.

"I thought it was James," he said, smiling.

"Not when I'm tired," she retaliated, yawning again.

She walked up the left staircase, then came down abruptly.

"That's yours," she clarified, before dashing to the other staircase and disappearing up it.

James grinned, and made his way up his staircase.

When Lily reached the top, she once again had her mind blown.

A double four-poster bed stood in the middle of one wall. It had a scarlet cover that had a gold outline, with a Hogwarts crest that had been enlarged in the middle of it. There was a huge chest of draws with a full-length mirror next to it. The dresser already had Lily's clothes folded in it, so she grabbed a pair of warm pyjamas and slipped them on. There was also a closet where the rest of Lily's clothes were stored, that was a deep maroon. Her trunk sat on one corner, and her empty owl cage sat on top of it.

She saw a door, and opened it. Inside, there was a small bathroom. It didn't have a shower or bath, but held a sink, cupboards and toilet. She washed her face, and brushed her teeth thoroughly. She figured that there was a bigger bathroom downstairs for the both of them to share. The thought hit her like a tonne of bricks. _She was living with Potter, sharing a bathroom with Potter._ She had already promised to herself that she was going to tolerate him that year. She knew that there was no way Dumbledore would go back on his decision, and make someone else head boy. So she had decided to accept it, and start treating him as a human being- however hard that was going to be.

Boy, was this year going to go slow.

James sat on his bed. There was a window next to him, a handsome dresser opposite, a mirror and a door, which he supposed led to the bathroom.

He was pretty happy with the arrangements. He was sharing a dorm with Lily, _calling_ her Lily, and she could almost tolerate being in the same room as him now. That was a _lot_ achieved in one day.

He was going to get her. That was a promise.

Sighing, he got ready for bed, then fell back on to the soft covers again, and fell straight to sleep.

* * *

Lily awoke to the sound of an alarm at 7:00. She sat up, cursing, and smacked her hand down on it, causing it to throb painfully.

"Alarms should be illegal," she grumbled, as she pushed her covers off her.

For a second, she sat there, appreciating her warm, comfortable bed, then felt a jab of pain in her hand, and, grouching like a petulant child, got up and stretched. She performed a quick healing spell, then grabbed her towel and went down her spiral staircase.

She creaked open the bathroom door that she had spotted the night before, and marvelled at the sight before her.

It was enchanted to be bigger on the inside; in one corner, a bath the size of a decent sized swimming pool was sat, with about thirty taps to go with it. Next to the bath was the shower, which was about the size of a queen mattress, which had hot and cold, and then another thirty additional taps that did who knew what.

There was a sink, which was a little larger than normal, a towel rack that warmed your towel instantly, a toilet with a heated seat and a table that had a mirror that lit up around the sides, and a chair to go with it, for makeup, Lily supposed.

She hung her towel up, and turned on one of the taps in the shower. She fiddled around for a while, then got a stream of warm water gushing out that smelt like grape.

When she had finished, she dried off, and wrapped herself in a dressing gown that was hanging behind the door. It felt like the most velvety, soft, smooth thing that she could ever imagine, and almost didn't want to go and get dressed.

Nevertheless, she hopped up the stairs and put on her uniform, then went into her bathroom. She put on some makeup, brushed her hair and curled it a bit, then, happy with her appearance, packed her school bag and slung it over her shoulder as she descended the stairs.

She heard James coming, and hurried out the portrait, to the Gryffindor dormitories.

She reached the Fat Lady, and realised that she didn't know the password.

"Um..." she wondered aloud.

"No password, no entrance," said the Fat Lady sternly.

"Come on! I'm head girl, and you know I was in Gryffindor!" tried Lily.

The Fat Lady looked like she was considering Lily's argument, but her expression quickly regained its stern demeanour.

"Okay fine... Um... Knarl?" Lily guessed.

The Fat Lady shook her head.

"Salamander?"

Another shake.

"Oh, of course, weird words... Um... Blatherskite?" she asked, taking a shot.

The Fat Lady's eyes widened. "Y-yes," she stammered. "How did you guess that?"

"Pure talent," smirked Lily.

The portrait swung forward, allowing Lily into the common room. She stepped into the room, and sped over to the stairwell.

She rushed up the stairs at a rapid pace, two at a time.

"HESTIA-DORCAS-ALICE!" she hollered.

She reached the top of the stairs panting, and ran into the room.

"LILY," cried Hestia, in the middle of curling her hair.

"I missed you! I was stuck with these two all night," she said, completely deadpan.

Alice snorted. " _You_ were stuck with _us_?" she scoffed.

"Yep," said Hestia. "It was awful."

Alice laughed, and at that moment, Dorcas came out of the bathroom.

" _Finally_! I thought you had fallen asleep in there! For the _third_ time!" exclaimed Hestia.

"Excuse me? I have never fallen asleep in the bathroom. Never in seventeen years."

"Lies. All lies." Alice said, looking slyly at Dorcas.

Dorcas narrowed her eyes. "Possibly..." she said shiftily. "Hey Lils! I missed you!"

"I missed you guys too! I totally forgot about the heads dorms! Ugh, it's going to be horrible; I'm _sharing_ a _dorm_ with _Potter_!" said Lily. "Well, actually, I call him James now... I should probably try to remember that..."

"Lily! Wow, I never thought you'd be able to do that! You've grown up so fast, I don't know _what_ I'm going to do when you graduate!" said Hestia, pretending to tear up.

"So, how _was_ sharing a dorm with him? And how were the head dorms? They're meant to be spectacular! We guessed when McGonagall took you away that you were going there. Hestia wanted to go after you but I had to hold her back, then we finally made it here and she didn't stop whinging _all night_! Do you know how annoying that gets?" rambled Alice.

"Yes, Alice, I do. But anyway, the dorms are _amazing_! I can show you after school if you want. And it wasn't too bad with him, I guess. But we didn't really talk that much." said Lily.

"Anyway, I need to get in the bathroom, and- OH!" said Hestia, in realisation. "LILY! IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY AS HEAD GIRL! You need to look like..." she trailed off, trying to find the right word. " _WOW_!"

"No," Lily moaned.

"Allow me," said Hestia, beaming, gesturing towards the bathroom.

Lily groaned. She wasn't going to get out of this. Alice and Dorcas gave her sympathetic looks as Lily dragged herself to her doom.

"Come on, Lily!" Hestia called, and reached out an arm and yanked Lily inside the bathroom.

Lily spotted the huge black suitcase she so hated, and immediately tried to pull away from Hestia, but Hestia's grip only tightened, then pushed her down onto a seat in front of the mirror.

Hestia rubbed her hands together gleefully and took in Lily's face.

"Hmm... Yeah, we'll put a highlight there... A touch there..." she thought aloud.

Hestia went over to the suitcase and wrenched it open. In there was the biggest array of makeup supplies possibly imaginable. The bag was completely filled to the brim with cosmetics, all neatly arranged in their separate compartments. Blush, eyeliner, eyebrow pencils, eyeshadows, concealer, foundation, mascara, lipstick, lip gloss; the list was endless. Hestia had everything in that bag. The bag that Lily, Alice and Dorcas had grown to detest.

Hestia had been working on Lily's face for about ten minutes, when Alice announced that it was enough, and it was almost time to go to breakfast. Hestia sighed sadly.

"Fine," she agreed, then proceeded to touch up her own makeup.

Lily took in her face. She had to admit, she did look better; she just didn't have the time or effort to do it herself every morning, and she definitely didn't want Hestia doing it her on a daily basis.

"Come on, Hest, do you not want breakfast?" said Lily, coaxing her friend out of the bathroom.

"No, of course I want breakfast! Don't want to miss the most important meal of the day and make my face all weird!" she said, hurrying out the bathroom and down the stairs.

Lily, Dorcas and Alice supressed giggles. Before she came to Hogwarts, and in first year, Hestia had never eaten breakfast, and when she did, it was very little. In second year, they had told Hestia that if you didn't eat breakfast, your face eventually became messed up- completely. They had convinced her easily; she had never questioned it, and since then, she had always eaten breakfast - plenty of it.

They finally succumbed to laughter, and made their way down the stairs.

* * *

At 5:45, James' alarm sounded. He turned it off, and quickly dressed. He silently made his way down the stairs, not wanting to wake Lily, and pushed open the portrait.

He jogged towards the doors to the Quidditch pitch, and slid out of the school and into the fresh air. He did a couple of laps around the pitch, then ran to the Black Lake, which he ran around.

Panting, he scrambled through the small tangle of trees and shrubbery, and out onto the grass again, heading towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

He stayed out until six thirty, then went back to the castle and had a shower, having a lot of fun with the many different settings, making his shower much longer than usual.

He got dressed, then tried to make himself presentable. He attempted to flatten his hair, making it even messier, he straightened his tie, tucked in his shirt, and evened out his robes. Satisfied, he took time to pack his books, parchment, ink and quills, and order the rest of his bag. He wanted to make a good impression as head boy, and also show Lily that he could be organised and responsible.

As he neared the bottom of his staircase, Lily reached the bottom of hers, and when she saw him, speed walked out of the room.

He chuckled lightly. They may be on a first name basis, but she wasn't going to get used to him that quickly. In fact, he would be extremely surprised if she even talked to him at all in classes. He strolled out the portrait and headed towards the Gryffindor dormitories.

When he got to the portrait hole, someone was just coming out. He grinned at his luck, and stepped into the welcoming common room, going over to the boys staircase.

" _PRONGS_!" bellowed a figure, racing down the stairs at a hasty pace. Naturally, it was Sirius, and as he reached the bottom, he tripped, and grabbed at the air, looking for something to stop him falling, finding James' face, and pulling both of them down to the ground in a muddle of limbs.

Sirius quickly scrambled to his feet and tackled James, who was halfway up, to the ground again in a huge bear hug.

"WHERE _WERE_ YOU ALL NIGHT?" demanded Sirius.

"I thought I told you," said Remus calmly, just coming down the stairs. "He was in the magical land of the heads dorms. You should probably know that, Padfoot, we've only been here six years and made a map of the whole school."

James and Remus snickered, then pretended to look offended at Sirius' attempt at a disdainful expression toward them.

Sirius finally gave up, and bellowed up the stairs for the final Marauder.

"PETER!" he shouted.

"Coming!" shouted a small voice.

They heard footsteps scurrying down the stairs, and a moment later, Peter Pettigrew appeared, slightly out of breath.

"Hey Pete," greeted James.

"Hi," squeaked Peter, adjusting his school bag.

"Oi, Pads, want to go get some breakfast?" asked James.

"FOOD!" shouted Sirius excitedly, before racing out the door. The rest of the Marauders followed, smiling at their eccentric, ludicrous, absurdly crazy friend.


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be writing a fanfiction about my own story, now, would I?**

When three quarters of the Marauders reached the Great Hall, they took their usual seats and began to pile their plates.

Sirius was, as per normal, down there before them, eating with horribly non-existent table manners. James was next to Sirius, and was in the middle of eating a piece of toast, when he jumped violently and started vigorously swiping something off his shoulder.

"SIRIUS!"

"Whaff up progf?" asked Sirius, through a huge mouthful of scrambled eggs, sounding almost indecipherable.

"You. Spat. On. Me." he said through gritted teeth. "Again."

"Forry, ma'e." said Sirius grinning, showing a set of egg covered teeth, before continuing to eat savagely.

James sighed slightly then went back to eating.

A few minutes later, Hestia burst through the doors, Lily, Dorcas and Alice behind her, laughing their heads off.

They took a seat at the table and loaded their plates, still chuckling.

"Oi, Sirius, give me the pumpkin juice will you?" asked Hestia over the noise.

"Only if you give me something of your own," said Sirius smoothly, smirking.

Hestia blushed.

"Never mind, I'll just have orange juice." she muttered to no one in particular.

Lily nudged Hestia under the table and tilted her head down a little, keeping eye contact. Hestia twitched her mouth and frowned slightly, and Lily sighed. They were scarily good at silent communication, and it baffled Alice and Dorcas all the time.

"Oh yeah, Lily, how did you get up to the school? We looked for you, but you were going down to the lake with the first years." said Alice.

"And then we left in the carriages, and we didn't see you coming back up. We were going to try and stop the carriage but it started going faster, and we couldn't." added Dorcas.

Lily smiled at the thoughtfulness of her friends and began to explain how she got up to the school, having fun reliving the experience.

They were the perfect audience, gasping and gaping in all the right places.

Lily spotted Professor McGonagall walking around the tables and handing out sheets of parchment when she had finished her story.

"Ooh!" she said excitedly. "Professor McGonagall is handing out our timetables!"

Alice, Dorcas and Hestia turned around. Their Professor was now making her way up the Gryffindor table, until _finally_ , in Lily's opinion, she reached where they were sitting.

"Evans... Lily Evans," murmured Professor McGonagall, sifting through the sheets in her hand.

She pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it to Lily.

"Miss Evans, I would like to congratulate you on making head girl. I'm sure that you and Mr Potter over there," she gestured to James, who was attempting to balance a banana on his face," or at least you, will do great things for our school." she said. She gave a curt nod and continued her path up the table.

Lily looked down at her timetable and grinned.

"Charms, Transfiguration, double Potions- ugh, it's with the Slytherins. _Again_." she said with a frown.

"It's alright Lils, we'll make sure you're not paired up with that slimy git." said Hestia firmly.

"Thanks, Hest." said Lily with a small smile.

They finished breakfast and were walking out of the Great Hall when Hestia shouted out that she had forgotten to bring her favourite quill. She grabbed Lily and pulled her towards the Gryffindor dormitories at top speed. When they got there, an extremely out of breath Hestia slid down the wall.

"B-blather-ski-te," panted Lily.

The portrait swung forward and Lily dashed in to get Hestia's quill. She found it quickly and went back down the stairs to find Hestia recovering.

Lily shoved the quill into Hestia's bag, and grabbed her friends hand, pulling her through the corridors until finally they reached the charms classroom. Everyone was still going in, so they joined the back of the queue and filed into their first class of the year.

They took seats near the back, next to Alice and Dorcas, and took out their things.

"Ahem?"

"Yes, Lily dear?" said Hestia.

"How about _thanks_ , Lily, coming on a cross country run with me, going _all_ the way up to the dormitory while I stayed lazily outside catching my breath, finding my quill, coming back down and getting me to class on time, huh?" Lily said.

"Yeah, that. That's what I meant." Hestia said sheepishly.

"Really?" asked Lily doubtfully. "Those exact words?"

"Yeah. Great minds think alike, eh?"

"Oh, shut up."

"Alright, class, today we will be learning the theory of the Fidelius charm. Does anyone know what, exactly the Fidelius charm induces?" spoke Professor Flitwick in a squeaky voice, standing on his usual stack of books, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Lily raised her hand, and Sirius gave her a high five, whispering, 'go get 'em' in Lily's ear.

Lily brushed off Sirius impatiently, and Professor Flitwick pointed to her.

"Yes, Miss Evans?" he asked.

"Really? You high five her _every single time_ she puts up her hand, mate," said James quietly to Sirius.

"Not _every_ time. When I'm not here you do it for me." Sirius said back.

"Yeah and that's probably why she hates me."

Sirius scoffed. "I highly doubt she hates you _just_ because you high-five her sometimes."

"Oh, shut up."

"I think Evans is rubbing off on him earlier than we thought... she said the exact same thing about thirty seconds ago. We're in real trouble now. " Sirius whispered to Remus and Peter.

"The Fidelius charm is one of the most complex charms to perform properly." began Lily. "It conceals a secret- the information- inside a living person, namely, the Secret Keeper who is the only person who can divulge the information. They can do so in any form of speaking or writing, but the secret cannot be forced or tortured out of them; they have to willingly give up the information. If the Secret Keeper dies, everyone that they have given the information to becomes Secret Keeper." said Lily informatively.

"Yes, Miss Evans! Ten points to Gryffindor!" said Professor Flitwick excitedly. He waved his wand and the textbooks that were piled on his desk lifted, and handed themselves out. "Turn to the chapter on page eighteen, called 'the history of the Fidelius charm' and please read it, in silence. If you have any questions, please raise your hand."

The class opened their books and spent the rest of the lesson reading an unexpectedly interesting chapter, until the bell rang.

"Homework: please write ten inches on who discovered the Fidelius charm, and also why he did, and discuss what the charm does in detail. Thank you." squeaked Professor Flitwick over the noise of the class.

James stood impatiently by Sirius' desk, waiting for his friend to finish packing up. Sirius, naturally, knocked over his ink pot, and stepped on the wet ink with his shoe.

"AH JAMES! IS MY HAIR OKAY?" shouted Sirius.

"Knocking over your ink pot has _absolutely nothing_ to do with your hair getting messed up! You're lucky the class is gone, Pads, then they'd see that-" started James, only to get a finger pushed on his mouth.

"Uh-uh-uh, Jamsie-poo, they wouldn't see _anything_ ; but _really_ , is my hair okay?"

"Yes, yes my Siri-poo, your hair is still perfect." cooed James.

"If perfect means ugly," he added under his breath.

* * *

As Lily and her friends walked to class, Lily's owl Anna flew through the corridor, and landed gracefully on Lily's shoulder.

Lily opened the letter tied to Anna's foot, and was surprised to see Petunia's handwriting printed on the page.

 _Dear Lily,_  
 _The date went amazingly! And guess what? I'M ENGAGED! I'm so so excited Lily, and this is a given, but would you be my maid of honour? I'd be so happy if you did, it'd make my day!_  
 _Want details? Well of course you don't, but you haven't got a choice. So Vernon showed up in a tux, like always, but this one was... Fancier... And anyway, he ordered my favourite champagne, and he toasted to happy lives, and_ then _, after we finished the first course -very superb, in my opinion- he started talking about how I completed him, and how he loved me so much that it hurt to be away from me, and how he could never live without me, and THEN... HE PROPOSED! The ring is so gorgeous, Lils, and I can't wait for you to see it._  
 _Anyway, I have to go, and I'm sure you have places to be, so bye for now!_  
 _Love, Petunia xx_

"Who's it from?" asked Dorcas.

"Petunia," said Lily, a smile creeping into her face.

"And?"

"My sister is getting married!" Lily squealed.

"Yay! Congratulations, Lils, you're going to be a... Well, you're still going to be the same... But you'll have a married sister!"

Dorcas, Lily and Hestia hugged, while Hestia started muttering to herself about how Lily would do her hair and makeup for the wedding.

"Speaking of love lives... James _still_ hasn't asked you out yet?" Dorcas queried.

"No, not a word. I'm actually really surprised... Glad, but surprised." said Lily.

"I wonder what's changed. I mean, have you seen him hex anyone this year? Have you seen him pestering Lily constantly? Have you heard him always finding a way to slip something about his talents on the Quidditch pitch into any conversation? I think he's really, I don't know... _Different_ this year?" said Hestia thoughtfully. "What do you think Alice? Alice?"

Hestia turned to face Alice, but couldn't find her. She looked behind them and saw Alice bent down, as though she was in the middle of tying her shoes, staring at a group of Hufflepuff boys sitting on the steps, chatting.

The girls laughed. "Yoo-hoo! Alice!" called Dorcas, rather loudly.

Alice awoke from her daze and looked up at her friends, some ten metres away from her, a vague smile lingering on her profile. She walked over to them, and proceeded to tell them what she had seen, a giddy smile now lighting up her face.

"I saw Frank talking to his friends as I was tying my shoes, and he looked over at me and smiled and winked. Ahh, it was an amazing experience..." she said, obviously already reminiscing.

"It was barely an experience," Lily muttered to Hestia and Dorcas. Then she smiled to herself. Alice and Frank were made for each other, but they were both shy. However, they both liked each other an insane amount, and had for a while now, so something was bound to happen soon.

"Oh come on, Alice, snap out of it, or McGonagall will bite our heads off for being late again."

* * *

"Oi Moons! Where's Sirius?"

"I dunno, I saw him-"

"WHERE IS IT- WHERE IS IT- WHERE IS IT-WHERE IS IT!" shouted Sirius, tearing through the door to the Gryffindor boys dorm.

"Found him," said James cheerfully.

Sirius suddenly leaped over to James. "HAVE YOU SEEN IT?" he asked.

"Seen what, exactly?" asked James.

"MY SOCK, MY LUCKY SOCK, WHERE IS IT, WHERE IS IT!" he burst out, jabbing his finger at his bare foot.

"I feel like it's unnatural how many 'lucky' things he has," commented Remus.

"Oh, how wise you are, sir Moony." said James, bowing to Remus. "But really, it's getting scary."

"Tell me about it."

"NOT HELPING! I _NEEEEEEEED_ IT!" Sirius screeched.

"Pads-"

"FOUND IT!"

Sirius scurried out of the room, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Is it weird that this happens pretty much every night?" asked James.

"Nah. I think it's just part of our routine now." replied Remus.

"Moony, I think you may be right."

* * *

"Okay, now I'm _really_ craving pumpkin juice," sighed Hestia, staring into space, her elbow resting on the table, head on its side in her hand, using it as a pillow.

"Well, good news, Hest, there's a jug _right in front of you_ ," pointed out Alice.

"Hmm?" she questioned, not really paying attention and absent-mindedly turning to Alice, her mind elsewhere.

Knowing that Hestia probably wasn't listening, Alice poured some pumpkin juice into Hestia's goblet, and attempted to hand it to her. Hestia was unaware, and when the goblet was forced into her hand, she looked over at it curiously, before letting it slip through her un-cooperating fingers, until Alice saved it at the last second.

Alice turned back to Lily and Dorcas.

"Sirius, you reckon?" she whispered.

Having been best friends for years, they now knew how Hestia felt about him from the morning's events, and they knew _the look_.

"Definitely," replied Lily softly. "You saw what happened this morning."

"We'll ask her later, when she's more... Alive," said Dorcas quietly, leaning back and looking at Hestia, poking her slightly, to no reaction.

Alice and Lily grinned.

"Okay, good plan." said Lily.

A while later, the Gryffindor girls were retreating to the Heads dorms, Hestia now fully responsive of what was happening around her.

When they reached the portrait, Lily spoke up.

"Hippogriff," she said to Charles.

"Quite right, my dear, come through." he replied, eyeing Lily thoughtfully.

The portrait swung forwards, allowing the girls to enter. All of them, apart from Lily, immediately gasped, taking in the beautiful common room. Lily showed them the bathroom, then lead them up to her room.

"So..." said Lily, attempting to prompt Hestia into conversation.

"How's Charles?" said Hestia.

"Wrong conversation, Hest." said Lily sternly.

"Fine, but can I just say one thing? I never thought James would have competition with a portrait," she finished with a smirk.

Lily blushed a little, glared at Hestia then continued, having a sudden mood of happiness.

"Hestia and Sirius Black!" she squealed.

"James and Lily Potter!" commented Alice excitedly.

"Alice and Frank Longbottom!" shrieked Dorcas.

"DORCAS AND QUIDDITCH!" shouted Hestia with a laugh. "But really, Dorcas, is there a... Special someone?" she questioned with a grin.

"No, of course not." said Dorcas, flushing, while the others laughed. "I reserve my amazing looks for my one and only; my beautiful broomstick." she said, attempting to cover up her blush and holding her hands dramatically to her heart.

"Oh fine, we'll set you up with someone later, but for now we should work on... Alice and Frank, I mean, it's obvious that they like each other- and by like I mean _LIKE BIG TIME-_ but they're both too scared to make a move, so they obviously need some Hestia Help, aaaaaaannnddd," said Hestia, dragging out the syllables on her last word. "They're so _cute_ together!"

"Too true, Hest." commented Lily.

"Let's do it" said Dorcas. "Hands in!"

Lily, Hestia and Dorcas put their hands on top of each other, and looked expectantly at Alice.

"You'll force me won't you?" she said with a laugh.

"Yep," said her friends in unison.

Sighing in defeat, Alice reluctantly put her hand in, and they all threw their hands back, cheering.

"Okay, Alice. Let's get _serious_." said Hestia, attempting to adopt a stern expression, and failing abysmally.

"No, Hest, I think _you_ should get Sirius." teased Alice, with a pointed look at Hestia.

"Nice one," cheered Lily, high-fiving Alice, then Dorcas.

"Oh shut up, all of you." scolded Hestia, jokingly death staring them.

"Well, if we want to get them together, we'll need to get them talking." said Lily.

"We _do_ talk, it's ju-" started Alice.

"Not _talking_ talking, Ali- _flirting_ talking." pointed out Dorcas.

"Yeah, okay, we don't _exactly_ do that," muttered Alice.

"Precisely our point." said Lily.

Hestia suddenly squealed loudly.

"Oh no," said Lily. "I think we've tickled Hestia's matchmaking nerves"

"Oh dear," said Dorcas, shaking her head. "She'll be hyped up all night now"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Alice and Frank! Too perfect! Yay! Oh I love how that sounds... ALICE AND FRANK! Frank and Alice? I don't know! Oh no, oh no, oh no! Lily! Dorcas! What should it be! Oh, I'll just test them. Alice and Frank Longbottom. Frank and Alice Longbottom. AH! I DON'T KNOW! LILYYYYYYYYYY! DORCASSSSSS HELP ME! Frank and Alice? No, no, no, Alice and- AH! It's too hard and too much responsibility! I mean, I'm only seventeen, I can't be trusted with this! It's just..." ranted Hestia.

The other girls burst into laughter, looking at their wacky friend ranting on about nothing to no one.

* * *

A while later, Lily said goodbye to her friends, and sat at her desk to start her homework. Other than the charms essay, Professor McGonagall had given them a long set of ridiculously hard questions which Lily wanted to start on. She had been working for about ten minutes when the portrait opened, revealing a drenched James Potter. Lily looked behind her, and her eyes widened.

"Potter? Wh-why are you so wet?" she stammered. She mentally slapped herself. 'It's _James_ , not _Potter_!' she thought.

"Flying," he answered.

Lily looked back to the window to find a clear sky.

"It's not wet! How could you be that soaked?" Lily exclaimed.

"Erm... I..." he said uneasily.

"EW! Is that sweat?" she whimpered.

"No?" he said, smiling a bit.

"Ugh, go shower." said Lily, wrinkling her nose.

James rolled his eyes and slid into the bathroom.

Lily turned back to her homework thoughtfully. That was a grand total of about four proper conversations that she had had with James Potter. ' _Wow',_ thought Lily. ' _There's a thing I never thought would happen. Maybe it's because I'm sleep deprived. Yes, that's probably it. I'll just sleep on it, and things will be back to normal in the morning.'_

So Lily packed up her work, and sleepily made her way up her spiral staircase, thinking again. James hadn't asked her out yet, and he was being... Bearable. This was going to be a weird year.

 **A/N**

 **If you're wondering, blatherskite** _ **is**_ **actually a word, so...**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything so stop rubbing it in ;)**

"Ugh, count me out of any duties ever again."

"It wasn't that bad." reminded Lily.

"Yes it was! Those stupid fifth year prefects kept on asking questions, and even worse- questions that we had already answered!"

"You need to get used to them. They'll grow on you."

"I really don't think so." said James, pulling a face. "But I have an idea of another thing they can grow on." he added under his breath.

They had just held the first prefect meeting of the year, and while things had mostly gone smoothly, James had had enough.

"Just go and complain to Remus, I'm sure he's a better listener." said Lily, fed up with James' moaning, quickening her pace. "I have work to do."

She stalked off in the direction of their dorm.

"He might be a good listener, but he's nowhere near as good-looking." James said to himself.

" _Hey_!" said Remus, appearing as if from nowhere, narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry, Moons, what I meant was that you're so _amazingly_ handsome, I can _barely_ keep my hands off you!" said James.

"Better." nodded Remus.

"How did I do?"

"You went pretty well. I think you covered most of the things I told you."

"Good. My plan is in action. My man-plan. I'm a man with a plan. Man with a man-plan, ready to man-plan all your man-planning arses off."

Remus stopped walking. He took a second. "What?"

"Man-plan." James concluded simply. "M to the A to the N to the P L A-"

"Don't finish that." said Remus, shaking his head, and pulling James along.

* * *

 _"LILYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY_!" shouted a loud, high-pitched voice.

"Hmm?" hummed Lily sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

Her vision was temporarily blocked by a figure crashing into her and hugging her until her ribs hurt.

"IT'S THE WEEKEND!" shrieked Hestia.

"Um... Yay?" said Lily alarmed, and also very surprised that Hestia had remembered the password.

"You know, you're being very... Hugg-y lately." said Lily thoughtfully.

"Well you've been away, so I need to make up for lost hugging time." stated Hestia.

"Yeah, but you're not usually this-" started Lily.

"Come on!" said Hestia happily, cutting Lily off and gesturing to her laughing friends to help her pull Lily out of bed.

"Hest, wait, I have to shower and get changed, okay? I'll meet you at breakfast." said Lily.

"Oh, don't be stupid, girl-who-is-an-amazingly-talented-witch-but-doesn't-realise-it-when-she's-just-woken-up," said Hestia, flicking her wand at Lily. Lily's pyjamas were suddenly replaced by other clothes that had zoomed out of her trunk, while at the same time her pyjamas folded in mid-air, and floated on top of Lily's pillow. Her breath was minty, she felt like she had had a shower, and she was dressed, hair done and all.

"Let's go." said Hestia, skipping happily out of the room, pulling Lily along, Dorcas and Alice behind them.

"Now. Today... Is THE day... When Alice and Frank -or is it the other way? - FINALLY will get together!" declared Hestia.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Dorcas.

"Do I have a _plan_? Do _I have_ a _plan?_ " emphasised Hestia.

"Do you?" queried Dorcas, smiling.

"Well... No but I'll think up one over breakfast..."

"Oh c'mon you two, I'm hungry," said Lily.

* * *

"Right, so we're all un-hungry now, LET'S GO!" shouted Sirius.

"Pads, un-hungry isn't a word… or part of the English language… or anything remotely related to words," said James smiling.

"Well, are you hungry anymore?"

"No, bu-"

"Were you hungry before?"

"Well, ye-"

"So there you have it! You're un-hungried."

"Oh, so it's un-hungried now, is it?"

"Well it can be whatever; un-hungry, un-hungried, un-hungryified. They all work."

James finally gave up and laughed.

"You should know not to argue with Sirius' strange vocabulary by now," chuckled Remus.

"Yeah, after six years of it, I'd hope so," said Peter grimly.

"Yeah," said James, smiling. "I should, but it's nice to throw in an occasional argument every now and then."

"I strongly agree with that premise," said Remus.

"MARAUDER'S DAY OF MARAUDER'S PRANKING!" shouted Sirius suddenly.

"I have a feeling that this isn't going to end well," whispered Peter to James and Remus, who grinned.

* * *

Okay. First step: Find Frank." said Hestia.

"That should be easy. Alice has his schedule memorised." said Lily smirking.

"Lily!" shrieked Alice, turning deep red.

"I'm sorry, it's crucial information for our plan." defended Lily.

"It is not," said Alice indignantly.

"HUSH! Okay Alice- No embarrassment intended- where do you think Frank would be now?" asked Hestia seriously.

"Probably in the library," murmured Alice, narrowing her eyes at Lily.

"Good- that's a start. We'll see if he's there and then, if he is, start stage two." said Hestia, sounding quite organised- an uncommon occurrence.

"What's stage two?" questioned Dorcas.

"You'll just have to find out."

"Look, there he is!" whispered a voice.

"Where?" asked another.

"There!" answered another.

"Right beside those books."

"Oh, okay I was looking over there."

"Where?"

"Over near the window."

"Yeah, by that guy who's scratching his head."

"Oh, okay now I see, you know, he's not that bad-looking- I haven't seen him around before..."

"HEST!"

"NO!"

Lily, Dorcas and Hestia were quarrelling with each other, having found Frank, and were ready to put the plan into action. Alice was standing to the side, shaking her head.

"Shouldst we approach that gent with f'rocity?" said Dorcas.

" _Why_ the sudden Shakespearean?" asked Alice.

"It seemedeth toeth fiteth our... Situation...eth," said Dorcas slyly.

"How does... Never mind," muttered Alice.

"Fine, I'll translate, seeing as you guys have no regard for wonderful Shakespearean reciting. Do you want to go up to Frank straight away, and alone, Alice?" huffed Dorcas.

"No!" squeaked Alice.

"Right so maybe-"

"Ehem! My superbly brewed-up-over-breakfast plan can come into place here!" announced Hestia.

"Alright, Hest, what do we do?"

"Watch and learn."

Hestia walked, with purpose- of course- over to Frank. Her wand twitched in the direction of the rest of her friends as she neared him. Lily saw this and wondered what Hestia had done to them, but waved it off. She would find out later.

Hestia stopped in front of Frank and, instead of taking the 'oh fancy seeing you here' approach, abruptly snapped his book shut and sat down beside him.

Lily, Alice and Dorcas suddenly found that they couldn't hear a word that Hestia and Frank were saying. Trust Hestia.

After a while, Hestia walked back with a happy smile on her face. Hestia once again flicked her wand, and this time, the girls found themselves in an almost transparent dome, in which no one would see them, or hear them. Alice gave her a questioning look and Hestia gave her a thumbs up.

"Is it using your wand day or something?" asked Lily incredulously.

"No I happen to be very skilled at spells, so to not use that skill would be a waste." sassed Hestia, snapping her fingers, also sassily, then smiled. "I dunno, I just think it makes it more _dramatic_."

"Fair enough," said Lily. "But what were you saying to Frank? And what's next?"

"Oh yeah!" Hestia squealed. "That's the best part! I was just talking to him, you know, chatting away and then I got bored- not of Frank! Just of dodging the topic- and I came straight out with it an-"

"Wait. Hold up right there. You asked him when we were standing almost right beside you?" exclaimed Alice.

"Well..." she said, averting her eyes and adopting a cheeky expression. "I _may_ have made you invisible."

"Really, Hest? Really?" said Alice, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, Alice. Yes. But anyway, so I asked him, and he blushed a bit, and then came out."

Lily, Alice and Dorcas' eyes widened and Alice's eyebrows shot up so high that they almost reached her hairline.

"HE'S WHAT?" they chorused.

Hestia gasped in realisation, and then sniggered. "No! Sorry- I'm sorry! I meant he came out _with it_! He's not- I mean, it would be okay if he was, no one would judge him. Well, actually Alice would be upset, but you know, and, well the important thing is that he's _not- Anyway_ , he said he likes Alice- well actually, more than likes- but yeah, and that he wants to ask her out but is scared that she'll reject him, and he doesn't want to be shot down, because he really likes her, and that would be really hard for him."

Hestia sighed deeply. "Phew! That was a lot of talking. Even for me."

"Oh yes. We are _so_ proud." said Dorcas sarcastically.

"Oh shush, that's not our problem. Alice! You and Frank! Together! Now! Let's get it going!" said Lily smiling happily at Alice.

"Alright," replied Alice.

"Well that happened faster than I expected." stated Lily.

Alice flushed. "Well, because I know he likes me now..." she said. "I mean, what have I got to lose?"

"That's the spirit! Right." said Lily, waving her wand. "Well now that we're _visible_ , we have some setting up to do."

As soon as she finished her sentence, Frank walked over, somewhat timidly, and half-smiled.

"Alice? Can I speak to you?" he requested politely.

Alice's cheeks turned a little red- again- but she nodded, and walked out the door with Frank, looking back briefly to her friends, who were squealing loudly and high-fiving.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Alice appeared in the heads dorms, where the others had retreated, a radiant beam showing on her face.

"Hi," she said breathlessly.

"Hi?" said Lily, Dorcas and Hestia at the same time, looking expectantly at Alice.

"Sooooo?" asked Lily waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"I said yes!" screamed Alice.

The girls all immediately ran to her, enveloping her in a huge group hug.

After they had finished celebrating, Hestia ushered them all into a circle and pushed her hand forward, palm first, straight out in front of her in the middle of the circle.

Silently, one by one, the other three girls did so, until a small square was formed by their fingertips. All at once, a bright light shot up through the square, illuminating their grinning faces.

"Alice and Frank," they whispered in unison, quite dramatically, then ruined it by giggling.

A shower of coloured sparkles sprinkled down on them, the light fading, until they reached the floor, when the four girls were covered in a wave of dazzling rainbow light and confetti, which slowly cascaded into the floor, then disappeared.

Their grins widened. They had all spent a good chunk of their second year coming up with a spell that would unite their group, and later, be used to commemorate certain happenings that were worth celebration. As it so happened, it had also helped Alice and Hestia bond, as they hadn't gotten along very well until Lily helped them become friends.

* * *

Sirius was stood behind a suit of armour, holding what looked like a whip while a tapestry hid James, Remus and Peter.

They heard shuffling, and as it got closer, Sirius gripped the whip tighter. Just as they looked as though they would get caught, or even seen, Sirius brought his arm back and lashed the whip forward, which, instead of whipping whatever it hit, disintegrated into a million socks, all following after Filch, then whacking him over the head, while he tried to bat them off.

Sirius stumbled to the tapestry, holding his stomach due to laughter, to find the rest of the Marauder's in very much the same state.

Once they regained composure, Sirius rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Lots of Tiny- And Also One Big Prank Later- Pranks Day- Number two!" he announced.

All four Marauders were sitting at the lunch table. They were preparing for their start-of-term prank, and it was going to be a good one- they were sure of it.

James gave the other three a look and whispered "Three... Two... One"

A huge bang interrupted all conversations, and everyone's eyes were fixated on the grand ceiling. Fireworks zigzagged their way across it, then swooped down the walls in a parade of colours. Once they hit the ground, they exploded and shot up to the ceiling once again, but this time as toy unicorns, that raced all around in a blur of white. They gradually made their way lower down, and the white mist covered everyone in the great hall. Once it lifted, everyone's plates had disappeared, but there were paper planes zooming absolutely everywhere. They seemed to have a path, for each and every plane found its way to in front of a student, and unfolded itself, then forming a plate, bearing the words 'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, proud Marauders, 1978'.

The Marauders stood up, and took a mock bow, then high-fived and sat down again. The applause for them wore off after about five minutes of clapping and endless whistling, and people coming over to clap them on the back.

"NEXT!"

* * *

"Fine, Pads, but this has to be the last for the day, okay?" said James tiredly. After a whole day of pranking, you got pretty exhausted. _Especially_ with Sirius.

He twirled his wand, and jabbed it forwards, sending a stream of scarlet light in a twisting path towards the Slytherin common rooms. He waved his wand again, and a screen-like image popped up in front of them, allowing to see through the walls, and into the common room. The carpet was a loud red, decorated in gold lions. The walls and ceiling were covered in scarlet red and gold stripes, and there was an enormous lion head that roared loudly on each wall. To top it off, streamers in Gryffindor colours decorated the whole room, and those who occupied it at that moment found that they now had a lion's mane instead of hair.

"Nice one Prongs," said Sirius, nodding in approval. "I didn't know our headship could pull pranks like those now that he's head of the school."

"Careful. I'll put you in detention," said James seriously, narrowing his eyes. After a second, they all burst out laughing, and didn't stop for a long, long, long time.

* * *

 _The Fidelius Charm-_ _James Potter_

 _The Fidelius Charm is_

James froze, his quill hovering a little way above his essay, threatening to spill drops of jet black ink onto his fresh roll of parchment.

He didn't know what to write. He had no idea what to do _or_ where to get the information.

 _Where is Moony when you need him?_ James thought, frustrated. He heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs, and his mood lifted. _Lily! Lily is smart!_ He thought.

The footsteps came closer, and James turned around to see Lily approaching her desk.

"Eva- Lily?" he asked hesitantly.

She gave a nod to show that she was listening.

"I need help with the essay that Flitwick assigned us."

Lily's head flew up. "You're doing homework? Right now? On a weekday? Without prompting?" she questioned, looking at him incredulously. "Are you ill?"

"No! I mean, the other Marauders are in their dormitory and I can't contact them, and-" he started defending.

"It's fine, Pot- James, I was just wondering. It's good that you're actually not doing homework last minute. For the first time," she added under her breath. "What do you need help with?"

"Where do I find the information to do the essay?"

"Well, I've finished mine, and I looked in _a guide to charms, the Fidelius charm: How does it work?, Complex charms and spells of the eleventh century, spells for-_ "

"Ugh, can't you just let me copy?" groaned James. "That sounds like so much _work_."

"No, you jughead! You have to _learn_. That's why you're here at school," she said, slapping James softly on the arm.

"I thought I was at school to have fun and play pranks! Have I been _misled_ this _whole time_? Oh the horror! What will the parents say? How will they live?" he dramatized.

"Shush, you. Now, most of the books that I mentioned are in here, along those shelves. I suggest you have a look at them; it'll help out a lot with understanding your essay, and they tell you a lot of extra information too, and you get more marks for that. Anyway, I have to do some arithmancy homework, so try and keep it down, _please_?"

"Thanks, and I will." said James nodding.

Lily sat down and began to complete her homework. Her hair fell down from her shoulder, covering her face, and she brushed it away impatiently. Her expression became focused, her eyes staring intently at the parchment, her quill being twirled around in her fingers. Her brows furrowed at one point as she came across a harder problem, but relaxed as she solved it quickly.

As James started to get to work, he occasionally looked over to her, noticing her quirks and habits. He quickly picked some more books off the shelf and began to flick through them, noting down the useful information from them.

Lily was having an influence on him. He was doing his homework- _on time._ But, to be fair, it was probably time to start that anyway.

After a while, Lily stood and stretched and retreated to her room, coming back down the stairs a few minutes later.

"I'm going to the Gryffindor common room," she said.

"Can I come with?" James requested. "I've almost finished, and I was planning to go over soon anyway."

"Sure," said Lily, before she realised what she was saying. _Sure? Sure! What are you saying Lily! Get ahold of yourself. It's James bloody Potter. You have just agreed to a walk with James Potter._ Then another voice started in her head. _It's only a short walk, there's nothing wrong with that, is there? Of course there isn't, it's not like he's going to kill you._ Suddenly, she began to think she was quite mad, as the voices battled with each other. _Well, actually you never know, he might have taken to hexing Gryffindor's too now... No! Of course he hasn't. He's being almost sufferable this year- stop overreacting. Wait! He might kill me! Oh shut it, he's not going to, he's not insane._

"Are you right there?" said James, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yeah, I- lets go."

Lily climbed out of the portrait and fell into step beside James.

"So..." said James, shoving his hands in his pockets.  
"How are you finding being head girl?" he improvised. _Oh, smooth James_ , he thought. _Think of the most boring topic you can, and talk about it with the girl of your dreams, that'll make something happen._

"Pretty good, actually. It's a lot of fun being in the heads dorms, and being in charge of the school. What about you?" chattered Lily, making James feel a little better about his topic of conversation.

"Well, when my letter arrived, it was a huge shock already, but to be chosen as head girl... It was magical."

Lily cracked a smile, and so did James.

"Same as you." he concluded. "It's nice to have some freedom too, and a place to think."

"What do you mean?"

"Like a place where I can go to clear my head. I mean, I guess I used to go to the library, funnily enough."

"The only time you'd ever go there?"

"Spot on." James said, grinning. "There's a corner, I think opposite to the restricted section, and it's quite hidden. It has all sorts of books on old Transfiguration, and I liked to distract myself there. Ever since we came to the heads dorms though, I go to the big window, near the desks. I sit on the window seat there, just, sort of... looking out into the mountains."

"Sounds rustic. Arty. Intelligent-ish." Lily frowned. "That's not like you at all," James narrowed his eyes at her words, "Have you been talking to Remus?"

"Nah, I stopped talking to him ages ago. He's too smart for me, Pads and Wormy. We cut him off. You see, we have our rules- the most important being 'no smartness.' Oh, and 'no studying'."

Lily shook her head.

"Anyway, I see what you mean. Your 'thinking place'. I thought it might have just been me and the girls who had a thinking place."

"Actually, there's heaps of people I know that have a thinking place. Even my parents have found some spot in the house that they like the best.

"For example, Sirius goes to the Astronomy Tower, and Remus goes to the forest near the Quidditch pitch. Pete goes to _the_ Quidditch Pitch. It might surprise you, but he's actually a decent flyer, and I can't say I disagree that flying takes your mind off things." informed James.

"I didn't know Pete could fly! But I guess it makes sense." decided Lily. "You know, Dorcas goes to the Black Lake, on the very far side, Alice goes to this old, tiny classroom that is on the second floor and doesn't get used anymore, Hestia goes to the Owlery- don't ask me why, the smell would drive me insane- and I go to the Astronomy Tower too."

"Might I just ask- what's the attraction to the Astronomy Tower? I mean, I sort of get it; the wind all around, all the space, nature. But what's so amazing about it?"

"Well, I don't know about Sirius, or anyone else who goes there, but I found the Astronomy Tower in my second year. I know that sounds silly, because we had classes there, but I mean I _really_ found it. I hadn't been able to sleep, and I hadn't ever wandered the castle before, so, for the first time, I got out of bed and explored. I kind of got lost, actually, and I stumbled across it, and I realised its beauty. The wind can get so loud that you can't hear anything, and you just feel like you are the only person for ages. Ever since that night, I haven't even thought to find another place, so that's where I go."

Lily and James walked in silence for a while, though awkward at first, the quietness became comfortable.

When they reached the portrait hole, James muttered "damn" quietly.

"It's alright, James, I guessed the password. We can get in."

"How is it that you know _everything_?" he said, pretending to sigh.

Lily rolled her eyes and gave the password. When the portrait swung open, Lily said goodbye to James, and walked towards the girls staircases. _What's up with you, Lily! I'm putting up with him- very well... He's being nice, organised... Maybe this year will turn out okay. Just maybe_.

While Lily went to the girls dorms, James kept walking, and reached the boys room.

 _'Wow James, you managed a civilised conversation with her, for quite a while. Don't be a twit and blow it.'_ He found himself thinking.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **HERE YOU GO! Some almost-not-really-but-you-know-it-will-be-or-maybe-not-be-just-kidding jily fluff!**


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